Israel withdrew every last civilian and soldier from Gaza in 2005. There has been no “occupation” of Gaza since then. The Israelis left behind fourteen million dollars worth of greenhouses, so that the Gazans could take over the flourishing export business of fruits and flowers that Israelis had built, and were now leaving to them. Instead, the Gazans chose to vandalize and destroy the greenhouses, apparently uninterested in working for a living when deep-pocketed foreign donors have been so willing to support them. And Hamas turned Gaza into a center for terrorist attacks against the Jewish state, forcing Israel to conduct four campaigns against the terror group in what the IDF describes as “mowing the grass.” “Israeli Soldiers Die Because Its Military Is So Moral; How to Fight the Next War,” by Gil Troy, Algemeiner, October 19, 2023:
Israel has dropped leaflets before dropping bombs. Israel has texted citizens before dropping bombs. Israel has “knocked roofs,” sending missiles across a targeted building, before dropping bombs. Israel empowered pilots to abort important missions against legitimate military targets if too many civilians seem to be at risk. Sacrificing the element of surprise, Israel kept trying to act morally — yet kept being condemned internationally.
Meanwhile, cowering behind civilians, Hamas amassed arsenals, trained killers, and terrorized the Gaza corridor with rockets, riots, and attempted border breaches. In 2018, turning to eco-terrorism, they sent burning kites over the border. Their “Kitetifada” set 2,000 fires, incinerating agriculture in an area two-thirds the size of Geneva — where the UN kept skewering “immoral” democratic Israel, while ignoring totalitarian Hamas.
That year, I interviewed my cousin, Adele Raemer. For decades, she lived happily in a progressive paradise of the Gaza corridor kibbutzim, but was now watching as Israel’s disengagement made their lives hellish. “The IDF is the world’s most moral army,” she said. “They aim for the feet. They ‘knock on the roof,’ warning dwellers to flee an apartment-building-turned-terrorist-base before destroying it. If, God forbid, Hamas had breached the fence, hundreds would have been killed.”…
Troy makes a good case that Israel should be less wedded to “purity of arms” and more interested in choosing the means that minimize dangers to its soldiers. Palestinians in Gaza — described merely as “protesters” in the Western media — who took part in the Great March of Return in 2018-2019, hoped to breach Israel’s security fence, and then to enter the “Zionist entity” in order to kidnap or kill Israeli civilians and soldiers. They were armed with rocks, Molotov cocktails, fireworks, and some even had guns or grenades. Yet Israel did not use live fire except in the most dire of circumstances, when Palestinians were right at the security fence, hurling Molotov cocktails at Israeli soldiers and in danger of breaching the fence.
Unfortunately, Israel’s moral code shaped the “conceptzia,” the conception that decided Hamas was pragmatic, and its violence could be indulged and contained.
Hamas has ever since the 2014 war been presenting itself to the Israelis as more interested in building a prosperous ministate in Gaza than in continuing with its terrorism, and convinced too many in Israel that it would not do anything that would lead Israel to end its practice of providing work permits which, before Oct. 7, were provided to nearly 20,000 Gazans. But in fact, Hamas is not “pragmatic,” but consists of Muslim fanatics who are like the scorpion in the Russian tale. The scorpion is given a ride across a pond by a frog, but halfway across, the scorpion stings the frog, and as the frog is dying, taking the scorpion with him to a watery grave, he asks why the scorpion has done this; the scorpion answers “I can’t help myself. It’s in my nature.” Rape, torture, murder, kidnapping — these are in Hamas’ nature.
Fighting this new unsought war for survival, Israelis should learn from this unhappy history:
First, military morality entails a sliding scale. The greater the threat, the more evil the enemy, the more aggressive armies can be. After October 7, it would be immoral for Israel to tolerate Hamas’s continued presence next door.
Think of how the Allies firebombed Dresden, and Tokyo, hitting not just enemy soldiers and military installations, but also killing tens of thousands of civilians, yet few of us think we were wrong to do so, given the need both to destroy enemy weapons and bunkers, and also to demoralize the enemy. Think of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in order to bring the war in the Pacific to an end, thereby saving tens of thousands of American lives (and even more Japanese ones) that would have been lost during an all-out invasion of Japan.
Remember how the American soldiers called down airstrikes to bomb ISIS sites in Mosul, strikes that also killed many thousands of civilians, or how the Americans flattened Fallujah to clear out Saddam’s loyalists. Yet if Israeli bombs, despite the IAF’s best efforts to warn civilians to leave targeted buildings, cause civilian casualties, much of the world erupts in fury at what they call “war crimes.” Israel has to simply carry on, pointing out again and again that it has no desire to hit civilians, and makes every effort to minimize those casualties, while Hamas makes every effort to maximize them, even preventing many Palestinians from leaving areas — like northern Gaza — where Israel has warned civilians to leave. Hamas does not care about the lives of Gazans; it is perfectly willing to sacrifice them, aware that it will score propaganda points against the Jewish state.
Second, among the many anti-Israel libels distorting coverage, reporters must stop claiming that Gaza is so “densely populated,” treating Palestinians like sitting ducks. How could anyone in Manhattan, with 72,918 residents per square mile, deem Gaza overcrowded, with 16,583 residents per square mile — even fewer considering the extra living space Hamas developed in underground tunnels by siphoning humanitarian aid from the UN and other dupes.
Third, end the charade. Although Hamas is cruel to its people — many of its people have been cruel to Israelis. Don’t blame every Palestinian. But every Palestinian who cheered this rampage, who shared snuff videos, who giddily distributed candy after any terrorist attacks — is neither innocent nor hostage to Hamas….
This insistence on the “innocent Palestinians,” who, we are told, do not support Hamas, is much too optimistic. A great many people in Gaza support Hamas’ war on Israel, even if they are not members of the group. Those who celebrated on Oct. 7 by handing out candy, or who take great pleasure in watching the videos Hamas has posted of Israelis being raped, or tortured, or murdered, cannot be described as “innocent.”
Gil Troy suggests that a little less “purity of arms,” when the lives of IDF soldiers can be saved as a result, is be worth considering. At this point, just before the IDF battles its way into northern Gaza, trying to ferret out and kill the enemy under the hellishly complicated conditions of urban warfare, where every house, alley, tunnel, basement, or rooftop, may hide Hamas killers, in the midst of civilians, the IDF would do well to heed his advice.
tim gallagher says
I suspect that there is not a Muslim anywhere who does not share the ferocious hatred of Jewish people and also all of us non-Muslims, (all straight out of their book of instructions, the Koran) so I don’t believe that you could find a Muslim who is “innocent” at all because they all harbour the hate-filled bad attitude towards all non-Muslims. An innocent, nice, pleasant Muslim would be as hard to find as a unicorn. It would be a major miracle because their religion teaches them to hate above all other human characteristics. islam is a poison that kills the potential for innocence and decency in human beings. I would never trust any of them.
Eva says
This is the truth, and I’ve said it many times. I will keep on saying it.
Maybe one day, the rest of the world will realise it, but I think it will take something even more horrific than the atrocities committed in Israel to happen to these idiots for that to happen.
tim gallagher says
Yes, Eva, it is taking an extraordinarily long time for people to wake up to how evil islam is. I am amazed at how foolish so many people are. If people could just see islam and Muslims clearly as the malignant enemy that they are, we could shut them out of all non-muslim countries which is the only solution to the endless evil and damage that Muslims do in any country they are allowed to enter. For any non-muslim, there is no getting along peacefully with Muslims. islam is too full of hate for that to ever work. I see it as a tiny sign of hope that Hungary, Poland, the Czech republic and Slovakia shut Muslims out, and also that Burma threw their Muslims out.
Derek says
I absolutely concur with this assessment. The trouble is that the non-Muslim world has not figured out any effective strategy to counter jihad. The jihadists, thanks to the support from the left, now have a very effective narrative arsenal. The free world seems to be losing the narrative war. There are at most, lone wolves who keep writing about the truth at a huge cost and risk, while the world at large has tied itself with parameters like human rights that have no meaning for the jihadist zombies.
In the Mahabharata, the message from Lord Krishna to his disciple warrior Arjun was essentially that when fighting an evil unscrupulous enemy, it is silly to follow principles of decency and morality. It is one’s duty to eliminate such evil.
tim gallagher says
Thanks for the comment, Derek. You are certainly right that, so far, the people who are awake to islam’s malignant nature are far too few in number and we are losing the narrative war. As i said up above, I can only see a tiny sign of hope in that there are large numbers of people in Hungary and those other Visegrad bloc countries who are awake to islam and are tough with it. I also feel sure that Burma was right in throwing out its Muslims. I don’t like our chances of waking up in time in most western countries. Europeans threw the Muslim invaders out once, so i hope it happens again. Same for the USA and Australia where I live. Given that I’m old, I won’t see it happen, but it needs to be done. Getting along with the Muslim enemy is a forlorn hope. Thanks for the information, MD Anthony. Disgraceful, traitorous work by the Canadian media. James, you are right. Any Muslim that did not hate Jews would certainly not be following the vile book, the Koran. And such a Muslim would have to keep it quiet among fellow Muslims or they would have no Muslim friends.
MD Anthony says
Today( Oct 21st ) Iin Canada Millions of Muslims rallied across every Canadian province g outside their Mosques in solidarity against Canada’s professed support of Israel/ So few were the counter protestos in favour of Isreal that it appeared the counter protestors were agitators hoping to create riots. The canadian media across Canada (just like on 9/11) refused to cover the vast muslim rallies -in every canadian city as if it were not happening
Once again playing pretend that the crowds were not newsworthy it didn,t happen
James Lincoln says
tim,
If a given muslim does not hate Jews, they are not a very devout muslim.
Likely a “cultural muslim”, a muslim in name only.
Eva says
Israel will always be excoriated for defending herself.
I believe they must give up all hope of making the ignorant understand, and stop explaining themselves to the world.
Wellington says
Seconded, Eva. And as for “making the ignorant understand,” I include here Biden, Obama, Pelosi, the Squad and, en masse, the entire Democratic Party of the USA.
One of the great realities of our time, still not realized by so many, is that the Democratic Party within America is the single greatest enemy of so much that made America great. There is no excuse for anyone claiming to be an American patriot to remain a Democrat. No exceptions.
The Republican Party leaves much to be desired but the Democratic Party is now the biggest traitor of America. Bar none.
DINESH N. says
What is happening in USA and other Western countries is also happening in India. Our self-styled secularists and leftists of all shades have joined hands with their counterparts world over to hollow out India by taking the side of jihadists and painting them as victims. I wish “Jihadwatch” covers this instead of focusing mainly on North America.
marc says
start Jihadwatch.in, nothing is stopping you.
The majority of contributions to this site are Judaeo-Christian, both in actual work and financials, so it makes sense that would be the focus.
But if you check https://www.jihadwatch.org/category/india and https://www.jihadwatch.org/category/nigeria you will see other hotspots for Jihad well covered.
James Lincoln says
Wellington says,
“There is no excuse for anyone claiming to be an American patriot to remain a Democrat.”
Yes.
You could still find a few seven or eight years ago – but not now.
James Webb, a former Senator from Virginia, was one of the last. He has since left the Democrat Party, and did NOT vote for Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Mark Towle says
Outsta!
࿗Infidel࿘ says
50% of Gaza supports Hamas. The other 50% supports Islamic Jihad, not recognition of Israel as a Jewish state
James Lincoln says
Yes, Infidel.
Yet the mainstream media mostly insists that “Palestinians” in Gaza are good, Hamas is bad.
Joe says
This is a difference of religion. The Jewish religion seeks happiness (like other worthwhile religions such as Christianity), whereas Islam seeks world domination (like other dystopian ideologies such as Nazism).
Lisel Sipes says
Muslimes are the BORG. No brains and acting as one.