Condemning Israel, Incentivizing Terrorism
January 28, 2009 – 2:22 pmJudson Polin of Hudson New York (affiliated with the Hudson Institute think tank) writes:
As the philosopher George Santayana once quipped, “a fanatic is one who redoubles his effort when he has forgotten his aim.” Such loss of perspective is evident among those who have been condemning Israel in the name of humanitarian concern for the fate of noncombatants in Gaza. Organizations such as the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Doctors Without Borders have been among the loudest voices against Israel.
They complain that the Israeli Defense Force has not properly limited civilian casualties and that the IDF doesn’t allow unrestricted access to injured civilians in Gaza. The critics do not explain the bind that Hamas purposefully puts Israel in by attacking the Jewish state from behind the skirts of civilians. Sacrificing civilians is a cornerstone of Hamas strategy. It is a gross moral failure not to distinguish between Hamas, which deliberately targets and hides among civilians, and Israel, which is compelled to defend itself in ways that cause inevitable though unintended harm to civilians.
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