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Not Morally Equal

Entry 2298, on 2023-10-12 at 15:23:51 (Rating 4, News)

Summary

I argue that Hamas is primarily responsible for the ongoing violence between Hamas and Israel. I criticise those who blame Israel, saying that while Israel's actions might not be perfect, Hamas's deliberate terrorism is the root cause.

I support my claim by highlighting several points:
Hamas's surprise attack on Israel was a terrorist act, similar to 9/11.
Hamas has used materials intended for civilian infrastructure for military purposes.
They have rejected peace deals and celebrate violence against Israelis.
They deliberately target civilians and use them as human shields.

I acknowledge that Israeli air strikes have also caused civilian casualties, but argue they are a necessary reaction to Hamas's aggression. I emphasise that Israeli actions are not intended to harm civilians and are more precise than Hamas's attacks.

Ultimately, I urge readers to critically evaluate the situation and recognize that while there may be two sides to every conflict, one side is often morally right and the other wrong.

Full Text

There are two sides to every story, but that shouldn't mean that we see the two sides as being equal. In the case of any conflict or disagreement, we can identify things that both sides could have done better, but in some cases there is just one side which is clearly primarily to blame for the problem.

In World War II the aggression of the Germans, whatever the justification, was the problem, and any reaction to that, which might normally be seen as unacceptable (such as the attacks on Dresden, the use of nuclear weapons in Japan, and some of the Soviet tactics) are really only secondary to the initial cause.

In Ukraine today, the Russians are the perpetrators of the war, and whatever reasons they might offer to try to rationalise that, are insufficient. No doubt Ukraine's actions aren't perfect, but the real problem is the initial Russian attack.

So, now to get to the point. One I'm sure you could see coming: who is to blame for the current violence between Hamas and Israel?

I believe the clear source of the problem is Hamas. I know Israel might have handled things differently, but the real problem is with the Palestinians. Surprisingly - or maybe not give the current state of the world - many quite intelligent people can't see this. They conveniently ignore the terrorism, and blame Israel for its land confiscations driving the Palestinians to desperate measures.

OK, maybe that is a factor, but it is a factor in a similar way to how the peace treaties signed after World War I affected Germany and might have contributed to World War II. And it's a factor in the same way that NATO expansion (real or perceived) might have partly resulted in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We don't accept those as sufficiently serious to justify those wars, why would we think that a similar situation is a justification in the Middle East?

So yes, I blame the Hamas terrorists (and that's what they were, by any reasonable definition: "terrorism, noun. the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims") for the escalation of violence we are seeing currently.

The situation is quite new, and there is a lot of propaganda around, so it is difficult to get hard facts about what is happening, but let me list a few reasons I support Israel in this conflict...

The surprise attack on Israel was not an act of war, or a protest, or a defensive action, or an uprising of heroes seeking freedom. It was a terrorist attack, in just the same way that the 9/11 attacks against the US were a terrorist attack.

Here's a rhetorical, but accurate point many Israel supporters make: if Israel disarmed tomorrow it would be quickly attacked and eliminated by Arab nations; if Hamas disarmed, there would be peace.

There have been no Jews living in the Gaza Strip since Israel voluntarily left that area in 2005. This was supposed to be a step towards peace, but Hamas just used it as a way to build up weapons in the area.

Materials, such as concrete, pipes, etc, which were sent to the Gaza Strip for building civilian infrastructure have been repurposed by Hamas for military use.

There have been no elections since Hamas took power in 2006.

About 20% of population of Israel is Arab, and in most cases they have a far better standard of living there than they would elsewhere. Most do not want to move to Arab-controlled areas.

Hamas has been offered multiple peace deals and rejected them all.

A Muslim mob of hundreds of people near Sydney Opera House, was recently recorded shouting slogans such as "Allahu Akbar" and "gas the Jews". If wanting to gas Jews is not a warning sign of dangerous extremism, what is?

Movies have circulated showing Hamas supporters celebrating the death of the Jews after the attack, one with a small child on a his shoulders carrying an automatic rifle. It has been suggested that this might be American military equipment, possibly lost when the Americans left Afghanistan, thanks to Biden's bungled exit there.

A large Palestine celebration rally occurred in Dearborn, Michigan, the American
city with the largest Arab population, after the attack. This specifically celebrated the death of Israelis.

Hamas posted video of them murdering a woman on that woman's family's Facebook page.

Civilians were deliberately targeted, and babies were slaughtered during the attack, including being beheaded.

Civilian hostages were taken by the terrorists for the specific reason of being used as human shields, and as bargaining pieces, with promises of executions in revenge for Israeli attacks.

Hamas places its military equipment deliberately in civilian locations, such as hospitals and schools, with the intention of using civilians as a way to make attacking them more difficult to justify.

Do these sound like good people seeking freedom, or do they sound like primitive savages, driven by a violent politico-religious ideology and intent on their own goals while ignoring casualties to innocent people on both their enemy's and their own side?

Some people might look at the Israeli air strikes, which are also causing casualties, including to civilians, and say that is just as bad, but it isn't. The actions are not equivalent in any way. Here's why...

The Israelis are reacting to deliberate provocation by Hamas. The terrorist attack was intended to inflict death on innocent people, in the most shocking way possible, and they both expected and probably wanted a far greater counter-attack against them.

The Israelis have declared that they are at war, and their attacks were not unexpected acts of terrorism.

Because of the counter-attacks, the Israelis have caused numerous civilian deaths, but not by design. Their targets are military, and it is the nature of those targets which have resulted in the harm to innocent people.

The Israelis have far more sophisticated weapons, but that doesn't necessarily mean they can cause more damage (although they can). It also means they are more precise, and many are actively guided, which in theory at least means less collateral damage.

So those of you who blame Israel for this violence, I would like you to think again. there is evil in this world (obviously I don't mean in the religious sense of the word) and it is obvious when you look for it in a reasonable way. Stop listening to the nonsense you might hear from activists and the misleading reports from the mainstream media, and think for yourself.

There might be two sides to every conflict, but usually one side is right and the other wrong. The two sides are not morally equal.

Comment 1 (7505) by Jim Cable on 2023-10-12 at 16:51:12:

Well done, Owen.

Oh, for such clear analysis to be rationalised and attained in places where it counts, like the White House, Downing Street and UN headquarters - not to overlook the darkest halls of Tehran.

Further, even a little absorption of the impact and the squandered waste of human life in pursuit of meaningless hegemony and ideology would NOT go askance in those parts of the world that have funded/assisted Hamas in such atrocities.

Comment 2 (7506) by OJB on 2023-10-12 at 17:45:07:

I think the political response in many places has been broadly pro-Israel, except for our embarrassing government and Green Party fanatics, of course. The role Iran, etc played has not be proven yet, but when/if it is, I think some sort of negative consequences would be appropriate.

Comment 3 (7507) by OJB on 2023-10-12 at 18:23:52:

Also, to those who called me out for Islamophobia (or thought they did). Here are my thoughts on this: Islam is a horrible belief system, and the worst religion in the world currently. I despise it. Muslims are fine, because they are just people infected with a bad idea to varying extents. As long as they don't act on those ideas I have no problems with them at all. Is that Islamophobic? If it is, I don't care, but since I don't hate Muslims I don't think I qualify for that criticism.

Comment 4 (7509) by Anonymous on 2023-10-13 at 15:45:48:

Happy Jihardi Friday by the way! https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/former-hamas-chief-calls-protests-neighbours-join-war-against-israel-2023-10-11/

Comment 5 (7510) by OJB on 2023-10-13 at 18:08:41:

I guess that was the aim all along: to incite anti-Israel hatred, and make the divisions in that area of the world even worse.

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