A reader sent me some pointed criticism privately and I would like to share the jist of his concerns and my responses.
1. What do you do if there is an agreed pause, and Hamas does not honor it?
The implied expectation that Israel basically 'take it' in perpetuity is the sort of double-standard that seems widespread in the 'pause/ceasefire' argument space.
My response: I am not advocating for an agreed pause, but rather one imposed on Israel by the UN Security Council. Yes, this is one sided, but Israel is a United Nations member obliged to follow international law and Hamas is not. This is the nature of asymmetric warfare. I should have clarified that I would limit the pause to aerial bombing to allow a surge of humanitarian aid to take place safely. This would not preclude targeted ground attacks against Hamas enclaves in areas with few civilians affected. Also, I should have clarified that Israel could continue to take defensive actions to protect its troops during the pause.
2. What about the hostages? The accounts of the ones freed, and talking about the large number still being held, completely out of the picture now. Some were held by UNRWA staff, some held in/below hospitals or schools, psychological warfare used against them in captivity. The fact that someone has to keep bringing it up to everyone because people omit it, to me, makes the people who ignore it less credible.
My response: There is a huge amount of commentary about the situation in Gaza - the hostages are mentioned in some, but not all of it. Of course the suffering of the hostages is indescribable in mere words, but I don't know how to weave that into this post. Should Hamas release all the hostages immediately? Yes. Do I believe that Israel pausing its air campaign to prevent mass death through starvation be contingent on Hamas's willingness to release more hostages? No, I do not. Indeed Hamas' unwillingness to do so shows how Hamas cares not one whit about the people of Gaza as it has shown over and over again and I bring out in my post. Also, the Security Council has already passed a resolution calling for immediate release of the hostages, so there is not anything more it could say other than reiterating that call. I also don't think it is useful to try to compare the suffering being experienced on both sides. They are different and horrific in their own rights. The scale of what appears to be unfolding regarding the civilians of Gaza is what I wanted to highlight in this post. That does not mean I do not understand the pain that every Israeli and many others around the world are feeling regarding the mass trauma and hardship being experienced by the hostages every day they remain in captivity (and, tragically, even after they are released, God willing).
I am stunned that Israel, the victim of Hamas, is being appealed to help Hamas as a humanitarian gesture. When did Israel ever get such gestures? Never. It was always despised and mistreated.
Now the victim of Hamas is supposed to take on more responsibility to help the victims who're suffering because of HAMAS????? Give me a break. Ware is war. not time for sloppy sentiments for war perpetrators.
Thank you for your comment. My suggestion for a humanitarian pause has nothing to do with aiding Hamas. It is a plea to aid the civilians who have been suffering for decades due to Hamas' perfidity and are now living on the verge of starvation. Do you believe the tens of thousands of people who are now living in squalor due to Hamas' tactics and Israel's failures, as I outlined in the piece, really have an allegiance to Hamas. I also think it is dangerous to characterize Israel's obligations under international law as "sloppy sentiments." Israel's claim to be a moral Army that operates in compliance with all aspects of international law is central to its defense of the war against Hamas -- which I have called a just war on multiple occasions -- as well as central to its defense against the charge it is defending against in the International Court of Justice regarding genocide. As a occupying power right now in Gaza, Israel has an obligation under the Fourth Geneva Convention to provide adequate food and medical supplies. The UN's assessment of the dire circumstances being faced by displaced civilians convinces me that Israel is not living up to this legal and moral duty.
A reader sent me some pointed criticism privately and I would like to share the jist of his concerns and my responses.
1. What do you do if there is an agreed pause, and Hamas does not honor it?
The implied expectation that Israel basically 'take it' in perpetuity is the sort of double-standard that seems widespread in the 'pause/ceasefire' argument space.
My response: I am not advocating for an agreed pause, but rather one imposed on Israel by the UN Security Council. Yes, this is one sided, but Israel is a United Nations member obliged to follow international law and Hamas is not. This is the nature of asymmetric warfare. I should have clarified that I would limit the pause to aerial bombing to allow a surge of humanitarian aid to take place safely. This would not preclude targeted ground attacks against Hamas enclaves in areas with few civilians affected. Also, I should have clarified that Israel could continue to take defensive actions to protect its troops during the pause.
2. What about the hostages? The accounts of the ones freed, and talking about the large number still being held, completely out of the picture now. Some were held by UNRWA staff, some held in/below hospitals or schools, psychological warfare used against them in captivity. The fact that someone has to keep bringing it up to everyone because people omit it, to me, makes the people who ignore it less credible.
My response: There is a huge amount of commentary about the situation in Gaza - the hostages are mentioned in some, but not all of it. Of course the suffering of the hostages is indescribable in mere words, but I don't know how to weave that into this post. Should Hamas release all the hostages immediately? Yes. Do I believe that Israel pausing its air campaign to prevent mass death through starvation be contingent on Hamas's willingness to release more hostages? No, I do not. Indeed Hamas' unwillingness to do so shows how Hamas cares not one whit about the people of Gaza as it has shown over and over again and I bring out in my post. Also, the Security Council has already passed a resolution calling for immediate release of the hostages, so there is not anything more it could say other than reiterating that call. I also don't think it is useful to try to compare the suffering being experienced on both sides. They are different and horrific in their own rights. The scale of what appears to be unfolding regarding the civilians of Gaza is what I wanted to highlight in this post. That does not mean I do not understand the pain that every Israeli and many others around the world are feeling regarding the mass trauma and hardship being experienced by the hostages every day they remain in captivity (and, tragically, even after they are released, God willing).
I am stunned that Israel, the victim of Hamas, is being appealed to help Hamas as a humanitarian gesture. When did Israel ever get such gestures? Never. It was always despised and mistreated.
Now the victim of Hamas is supposed to take on more responsibility to help the victims who're suffering because of HAMAS????? Give me a break. Ware is war. not time for sloppy sentiments for war perpetrators.
Thank you for your comment. My suggestion for a humanitarian pause has nothing to do with aiding Hamas. It is a plea to aid the civilians who have been suffering for decades due to Hamas' perfidity and are now living on the verge of starvation. Do you believe the tens of thousands of people who are now living in squalor due to Hamas' tactics and Israel's failures, as I outlined in the piece, really have an allegiance to Hamas. I also think it is dangerous to characterize Israel's obligations under international law as "sloppy sentiments." Israel's claim to be a moral Army that operates in compliance with all aspects of international law is central to its defense of the war against Hamas -- which I have called a just war on multiple occasions -- as well as central to its defense against the charge it is defending against in the International Court of Justice regarding genocide. As a occupying power right now in Gaza, Israel has an obligation under the Fourth Geneva Convention to provide adequate food and medical supplies. The UN's assessment of the dire circumstances being faced by displaced civilians convinces me that Israel is not living up to this legal and moral duty.
To David Schanzer: all news reports state that the Palestinians overwhelmingly support Hamas.
All these criticisms of Israel are never made against other wars, conflicts and terrorist attacks.
The UN didnt even condemn the Oct. 7 attack. Jews are being judged by a different standard.
They are resented because they are winning!
When this happens people twist the truth and
invent rules of war to discredit their enemy. Israel is not attacking civilians; it is searching for
Hamas in underground tunnels and other places where civilians live and are being used as
human shields.
All this crap about “disproportionality”. Why isnt everyone condemning the crime of
hostage taking? About using human shields? About Hamas using foreign aid to build the
tunnels? About bombing another country gratuitously? It is Hamas that is committing
war crimes. Israel is not endangering civilians; it is seeking Hamas who has put itself
in and under civilian buildings.
Israel is conforming to the existing rules of war. That its enemy is mired in with
civilian homes and buildings is not Israel’s fault. It is Hamas which endangers the
Gazans.
LS