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DAVID FORSMARK's avatar

All good points, save one. In your equivalence argument on the genocide point, you don't present an alternative, and the "your family" analogy is really not up to your standards. If Hamas acts as Hams is acting, then what is Israel to do? As you pointed out, negotiation with them is futile. But if you don't act, then endless repeats of October 7th is inevitable. And it's hard to come up with a strategy that doesn't end up with about 50% Israeli casualties if they don't go the total war route. It's incumbent on a civilized army to respect civilians, but to sacrifice themselves for the other side's civilians. So by your strategy, human shields would become the MOST effective tactic in war, and it's use would not only increase, it would give civilians incentive to embrace it since they have no consequences. And 2006 poll results? REALLY?

We killed 100sX more German and Japanese civilians than they did of ours. That doesn't make it genocide. It is what happens when your brutal rulers begin a Total War. It's horrible; but inevitable.

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Peaceful Dave's avatar

Another well thought out article from you Steve.

I think that people fail to understand fourth generation asymmetric warfare. It is war.

Israel is trying to sell what they are doing as counterinsurgency which is essentially the police activity of getting the bad guys who exist within the body of good, or at least neutral people. Everybody sucks at it. America's failures in warfare have been in wars of counterinsurgency. Vietnam and Afghanistan are examples. Israel knows that they cannot succeed at that. Let's not bullshit ourselves, they are at war, just as Hamas is.

What happens in war? Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius (Kill them. For the Lord knows who are His.). Firebomb or nuke cities where most of the dead will be non-combatants. Kill all the males including infants and rape the women while the men are forced to watch the rapes and the women are forced to watch the murder of their sons, brothers and husbands. Destroy their homes, factories and infrastructure. A most grotesque horror.

What do we see both Israel and Hamas doing? War. The problem with condemning what is going on is that sparing the non-combatants assumes that the objectives of the belligerents is not total war but rather a counterinsurgency police action. Evidence says that that is an incorrect assumption.

Fifth generation warfare pertains to dis/information and perception. The opinions and side taking is a result of that.

"It's not a war on all of the people of Israel or Palestine, just the ones victimizing us.". With a slow Southern drawl, that sounds like a bullshit story to me.

It is powerful and influences the ultimate result. People can participate without doing the killing with their own hands. Bloodthirsty voyeurs claiming righteousness. The privilege of distance and willingness to believe the sweet bullshit that is a balm for or conscience.

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