12-20-2023, 01:59 PM
(12-20-2023, 12:35 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: I think my issue is that Israel has killed far more innocent Palestinians, hell, more children alone, than Hamas has killed or kidnapped Israelis. At what point do we stop thinking of Israel as defending themselves and consider them to be the "bad guys" in this scenario? This is ignoring all of the other aspects of it that complicate the scenario, just the casualties alone show how indiscriminate Israel has been in this war.
I actually think this way of thinking about is far more in line with revenge than what Israel is actually doing. This isn't a case of you kill 1,200, I kill 1,200. That's the kind of eye for an eye thinking your post would indicate you do not approve of. Hamas has publicly stated they will continue to engage in attacks like 10/7 until Israel no longer exists. Hence, Israel is left with two options; eliminate Hamas as an effective actor in the region or 2. get your "revenge" (proportionate casualties) and wait for the next brutal attack by Hamas.
Civilian casualties are high because Hamas wants them to be. Their fighters dress in civilian clothing. Their munition stores and rocket positions are placed in or right next to civilian buildings. The deliberately embed their terrorists in heavily populated areas, ensuring civilian deaths if they are attacked. They do this because they know that westerners will see civilian deaths and start sympathizing with them, or at the very least start castigating Israel. In that regard this is working like a charm. They rely on and abuse your empathy so they can remain in power and continue deliberately killing innocent people. We also love to kick the can down the road in the west instead of making hard decisions.
Honestly, if WW2 had happened during the digital age we'd have the exact same people talking about a ceasefire with Germany and Japan and both those government would remain in power. It is possible to deplore the loss of life in Gaza while acknowledging that this is not a situation of Israel's choosing and that leaving Hamas in power simply ensures this will all happen again in the future.
