
Well, Stephen since you asked and didn’t allow comments, I can tell you in three words. Massively unreasonable violence.
Both Hamas and Israel must stand condemned for their brutality.
But Israel’s disgraceful government turned an understandable retaliation into an unconscionable violation of human rights. And they are showing no signs of letting up.
And as for people demonstrating against Israel not also demonstrating against other rogue states, have you not heart of Myanmar or China ? Or British Tories.
You’ve got to get out more, Stephen – just because Israel makes cool software is no justification for human rights violations.
Get a sense of proportion !
I don’t know that ‘it’ can properly be a ‘but’. One of the problems ‘but’ brings, I think to an address is that therefore, implied, there is something that is not ok, aside from a central narrative that is marginally “ok”. We’re faced again, as well with the dilemma of assessing if it is understandable to shoot back when we’re shot at. Perhaps this latter is only comprehensible in context. How many are shooting and how many are shooting back, and so on, and how do we know? How can we know as the ferocity of war builds whether a skirmish at a border where war-aroused individuals pillage, bully at best, kidnap, rape, sodomise people they know or know of is a national conflict or local politics exclusively, or individuals who are crazed to kill emerging because they are emboldened. We have millions of people, billions who are suffering trauma in one degree or another.
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One of Buddhism’s helpful concepts in this regard is to question motive.
What was Hamas’ motive to murder and kidnap Israelis ? We are led to believe it is revenge for Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land and for oppression of the Palestinian people.
And in turn, Israel’s motivation for the hell it is raining down on Palestinians is also revenge for the killing and kidnapping of Israelis.
Revenge would be regarded as unskilful action by both parties, but IMHO, Israel’s denial that they are occupying what is internationally recognised as Palestinian land, that they are purposefully making life near impossible for Palestinians even before the war and their failure to accept that the IDF response is overwhelmingly disproportionate – are all massively unskilful thinking, speech and action.
The rest of the world is calling for Israel to act with restraint and to accept the inevitable two state solution.
But Israel continues to cling to absurd ideas that Hamas is using civilians as human shields (with remarkably little evidence) and therefore it’s justifiable to kill those alleged human shields – women and children.
This is arrant nonsense, totally morally bankrupt and ethically wrong and rotten to the core.
Is it OK to shoot back in self defence ? That depends on whether the shooting is the only way to defend oneself and whether it’s the minimum use of force to defend successfully.
Is it OK for the IDF to shoot Hamas fighters ? Yes if they are attacking Israel.
Is it OK to kill women and children, to starve them, and deny them power and water and destroy their homes, schools and hospitals ?
No, it is not.
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I sadly think on another word to make prominent in your thesis about the welfare of women and children of whichever nation,, purposefully. Is it ok to do that purposefully, relentlessly No, we cannot in any field of tragic conflict agree that is alright and we haven’t agreed that is alright. We purposefully created an understanding that we know it’s not alright. Been there done that. The work done at the end of the Second World war needs no apologists for its imperfections but we honestly don’t have to play these sort of diplomatic games as if we all should act out when the wise ones say you need to take some time out, Take Sunday off. Don’t kill children today. It’ll be good for them and good for you. That is clearly evident. What you’ve been doing isn’t working none. You may think you’re acheivng something positive it’s difficult to derive it.
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