In a sense (improbable as it seems), Hamas is holding Gaza hostage. The innocent victims are often the general population of those who have remained or were born in Gaza.
Hamas justifies sacrificing the lives of Palestinians whose only crime is being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This calculated and heartless gambit largely depends on a wholesale condemnation of Jews and the establishment of Israel. The Jewish State provides guarantees of religious tolerance which are written into the Israeli system of law.
The question remains, does the state of Israel have a right to exist? If you deny Israel the right to protect its citizens and borders, then you have a justification for blaming them for the cruel calculus that that results
loss of innocent lives. But you are wrong in expecting a sovereign nation to accept such a flagrant violation of international law and human rights.
Gazans needs protection from the hostile forces that are destroying it from within. And lsrael needs the support of law abiding people who respect the value of all human beings, no matter what their religious or political beliefs.
I think maybe a slight pause might be considered in your analysis to briefly consider how very little any of the history of Gaza has to do with the murder of the many people who hadn't done a single thing to deserve death, but who are now dead nonetheless. Aren't they hostages as well? It's not true, btw, that the Jews in Warsaw hadn't at least tried to attack the Germans (and rightly so). The only parallel I would draw now is the gross and unmistakable similarity between the liquidation of two ghettos. "Justifiable" mass murder is likely going to be the end of the human species.
The invasion of Gaza may have been justified, but that doesn’t make it right. For one thing, collective punishment is also a war crime. The asymmetry of the response seems to venture into this territory. I’m not saying they’re analogous, but the entire situation in Gaza seems to me to bear some unexpected similarities to the liquidation of the Warsaw ghetto. War is a terrible response to terrorism. It’s using a sledge hammer to cut out a tumor.
Thank you for you comment, but I cannot agree with your assessment and comparison of the Warsaw and Gaza, it is a false analogy. There is no possible analogy between the Warsaw Ghetto and Gaza.
The Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto did not attack the Nazis, before or after they were forced into the ghetto prior to be sent to the death camps. They had been rounded up and imprisoned there. The Palestinians in Gaza were refugees because Arab nations attacked Israel in 1948, 1966, and 1973, and lost. 20% of Israel’s population and citizens are Palestinians, Druze, Bedouin who elected to stay. The people in Gaza are refugees because no Arab countries want them, and because their ancestors did not want to coexist and be citizens with full religious and political freedom in Israel.
Hamas, a terrorist organization rules Gaza and has spent 18 years militarizing it and neglecting the needs of the population as it attacked Israel. The last Hamas attack killed more Jews in a single day than during the Holocaust. Since then they have only released 4 of over 240 hostages who are likewise illegally held by Hamas.
The attack by Hamas on October 7th violated international law and the laws of war. Israel’s actions under international law and the rules of war are completely legal. As for the loss of life of Gaza civilians I am saddened, however, Hamas has used them as human shields since taking power. Hamas puts their headquarters, rocket launchers, barracks, communications facilities, ammunition and supply depots in, under, and around hospitals, schools, mosques, churches, and other facilities that would be protected under international law had they observed it. Hamas, not Israel is legally responsible for the safety of the civilians of Gaza. Though they are not recognized as a government there, they are functioning as such. Their stated goal is the destruction of Israel and the extermination of the Jews. Hamas is no different than the Nazis who eradicated the Warsaw Ghetto.
War, as William Tecumseh Sherman said, is Hell. Sadly, and I really do mean this, the civilians in Gaza are victims because generations of Arab leaders used them as political pawns, and because their only value to Hamas are as propaganda to demonize Israel before the world. Dead Arab children in Gaza mean nothing to them. If they did, Hamas would have used the goodwill of the world in 2006 to create a political, economic, and social paradise akin to Hong Kong there. Instead, the began attacking Israel as soon as they gained power. The only way for the people of Gaza to know peace is for Hamas to be eradicated from the face of the earth.
The difference being that those in the Warsaw Ghetto didn’t emerge to commit mass murder and declare it will continue. If they had and then perpetuated their suicidal/homicidal mantra by taking civilian hostages, you tell me what you think the response would be?
In a sense (improbable as it seems), Hamas is holding Gaza hostage. The innocent victims are often the general population of those who have remained or were born in Gaza.
Hamas justifies sacrificing the lives of Palestinians whose only crime is being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This calculated and heartless gambit largely depends on a wholesale condemnation of Jews and the establishment of Israel. The Jewish State provides guarantees of religious tolerance which are written into the Israeli system of law.
The question remains, does the state of Israel have a right to exist? If you deny Israel the right to protect its citizens and borders, then you have a justification for blaming them for the cruel calculus that that results
loss of innocent lives. But you are wrong in expecting a sovereign nation to accept such a flagrant violation of international law and human rights.
Gazans needs protection from the hostile forces that are destroying it from within. And lsrael needs the support of law abiding people who respect the value of all human beings, no matter what their religious or political beliefs.
You are so correct Babette
I refer you and your readers to an valuable online resource: TIKVA Online Academy.
This free course is designed for high school students, and is open to those seek
to understand Jewish values and history in a time of War, Highly recommended.
I think maybe a slight pause might be considered in your analysis to briefly consider how very little any of the history of Gaza has to do with the murder of the many people who hadn't done a single thing to deserve death, but who are now dead nonetheless. Aren't they hostages as well? It's not true, btw, that the Jews in Warsaw hadn't at least tried to attack the Germans (and rightly so). The only parallel I would draw now is the gross and unmistakable similarity between the liquidation of two ghettos. "Justifiable" mass murder is likely going to be the end of the human species.
The invasion of Gaza may have been justified, but that doesn’t make it right. For one thing, collective punishment is also a war crime. The asymmetry of the response seems to venture into this territory. I’m not saying they’re analogous, but the entire situation in Gaza seems to me to bear some unexpected similarities to the liquidation of the Warsaw ghetto. War is a terrible response to terrorism. It’s using a sledge hammer to cut out a tumor.
Kevin,
Thank you for you comment, but I cannot agree with your assessment and comparison of the Warsaw and Gaza, it is a false analogy. There is no possible analogy between the Warsaw Ghetto and Gaza.
The Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto did not attack the Nazis, before or after they were forced into the ghetto prior to be sent to the death camps. They had been rounded up and imprisoned there. The Palestinians in Gaza were refugees because Arab nations attacked Israel in 1948, 1966, and 1973, and lost. 20% of Israel’s population and citizens are Palestinians, Druze, Bedouin who elected to stay. The people in Gaza are refugees because no Arab countries want them, and because their ancestors did not want to coexist and be citizens with full religious and political freedom in Israel.
Hamas, a terrorist organization rules Gaza and has spent 18 years militarizing it and neglecting the needs of the population as it attacked Israel. The last Hamas attack killed more Jews in a single day than during the Holocaust. Since then they have only released 4 of over 240 hostages who are likewise illegally held by Hamas.
The attack by Hamas on October 7th violated international law and the laws of war. Israel’s actions under international law and the rules of war are completely legal. As for the loss of life of Gaza civilians I am saddened, however, Hamas has used them as human shields since taking power. Hamas puts their headquarters, rocket launchers, barracks, communications facilities, ammunition and supply depots in, under, and around hospitals, schools, mosques, churches, and other facilities that would be protected under international law had they observed it. Hamas, not Israel is legally responsible for the safety of the civilians of Gaza. Though they are not recognized as a government there, they are functioning as such. Their stated goal is the destruction of Israel and the extermination of the Jews. Hamas is no different than the Nazis who eradicated the Warsaw Ghetto.
War, as William Tecumseh Sherman said, is Hell. Sadly, and I really do mean this, the civilians in Gaza are victims because generations of Arab leaders used them as political pawns, and because their only value to Hamas are as propaganda to demonize Israel before the world. Dead Arab children in Gaza mean nothing to them. If they did, Hamas would have used the goodwill of the world in 2006 to create a political, economic, and social paradise akin to Hong Kong there. Instead, the began attacking Israel as soon as they gained power. The only way for the people of Gaza to know peace is for Hamas to be eradicated from the face of the earth.
All the best,
Steve
The difference being that those in the Warsaw Ghetto didn’t emerge to commit mass murder and declare it will continue. If they had and then perpetuated their suicidal/homicidal mantra by taking civilian hostages, you tell me what you think the response would be?
Bazinga