Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don't
What's about to happen in Gaza is awful ... and tragically necessary.
I’m Michael A. Cohen, and this is Truth and Consequences: A no-holds-barred look at the absurdities, hypocrisies, and surreality. If you were sent this email or are a free subscriber and would like to become a paid subscriber, you can sign up here.
A quick housekeeping note: I’m leaving comments open for all subscribers this week so people can offer their thoughts on the tragedy unfolding in Israel and Gaza. However, that doesn’t mean folks have carte blanche to make wild or scurrilous claims. I’ve already deleted one comment from a reader accusing Israel of genocide and will do the same if there are comments calling for Israel to adopt inhumane measures in Gaza. So, feel free to comment, but let’s keep things civil.
What Is Israel Supposed To Do?
I want to start today with this comment from Jan Egeland, the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council. It gets to something deeply frustrating about the coverage of Israel’s impending military attack in Gaza in response to the horrific murder of 1300 Israelis this past weekend.
I suggest watching the video in which an IDF spokesperson describes the message sent to millions of Palestinian residents around Gaza City (it seems that Egeland did not bother to watch it). The spokesperson makes clear that this “demand” is not a demand, nor is it an “order.” It is to call to evacuate for the safety of Palestinian residents (because, quite clearly, Israel is poised to send its troops into the area). He also says that evacuees will eventually be allowed to return to their homes. Depicting this as a potential war crime is deplorable. It’s literally the exact opposite — a humanitarian gesture intended to protect lives.
Indeed, if Israel attacked Gaza City without first advising the civilian population to get out of harm’s way, is there any question that the same people accusing Israel of committing a war crime by urging Palestinians to leave would turn around and criticize Israel for not telling them to leave? It’s a rhetorical question because we all know the answer.
It begs the question: how exactly is Israel supposed to attack Hamas in Gaza and protect its citizens from future attacks without being subjected to criticism?
From a military and humanitarian perspective, Israel is in a near-impossible position. Hamas attacked Israeli civilian targets with the full knowledge that Israel would retaliate. There is little question that Israel has a right to strike Hamas targets in Gaza (international law leaves little ambiguity about the issue). Indeed, they have a responsibility to their citizens to do just that. But Hamas certainly knows that Gaza is one of the densest population centers in the world. Hamas has regularly placed military targets in and among the civilian population in Gaza. It’s not a surprise that a terrorist organization is indifferent to human life, but these are the people that Hamas is allegedly fighting on behalf of. Hamas undertook this attack with the full knowledge that the blowback would bring untold suffering to their own people — and they don’t care. Indeed, they are likely counting on it. They want civilian casualties because it will increase international opprobrium on Israel and perhaps limit the scope of its military strike.
It’s not an exaggeration to suggest that Israel is expected to care more about the lives of Palestinian civilians than Hamas — and is criticized for not doing more than Hamas to protect them.
How is Israel supposed to respond militarily without harming civilians? I mean that as a serious question. I’d love to get an answer because I see no way that Israel can square this circle.
I am fully aware that this is a decision from hell. For Israel to respond to the slaughter of thousands of civilians means that thousands of other civilians will die. There’s no way around it. Israel is choosing to attack Gaza, which will result in the deaths of innocents, to avenge and protect its own people. One can certainly argue that Hamas has put Israel in this position … but Israel is not a bunch of nihilistic murderers. So, the argument that Hamas did it first is not sufficient.
Moreover, while I am confident that Israel will not purposely target civilians — as Hamas did this weekend — that’s a legal defense, not a moral one. Innocents are already dying in Gaza, and many more will suffer. In fact, it’s almost certain that the number of Palestinians killed will surpass the number of Israelis killed this weekend — and by a significant total.
While once wars were fought on vast battlefields, far away from population centers, those days are long gone. The nature of modern war is total war in which civilians and armed forces are often intermingled. Even the most professional military — which adheres to international law — cannot avoid harming civilians. I know that my support, even desire, for Israel to exact vengeance on those responsible for this weekend’s bloodshed is placing the lives of one group of people over another. My support for Israel (which I cannot deny is, in part, tribal) conflicts with my moral belief that the killing of innocents is always wrong. But I don’t know how one escapes this moral conundrum. Israel must act to protect its people. It simply cannot tolerate a situation in which a government that butchers children is allowed to remain in place — and other children will die as a result.
If there is any potential silver lining (and it’s a dim one), it is that the disappearance of Hamas could potentially and ironically get the region closer to Palestinian self-determination. Hamas has spent 30 years systematically undermining peace efforts. Perhaps with them out of the picture, Israel will feel more secure in pursuing peace negotiations with the Palestinians. I’m not holding my breath, but it’s possible this could be the result of the current instability. In the meantime, however, it will be hell in Gaza. As a wise man once said, war is cruelty; you cannot refine it.
What’s Going On
Please read Gal Beckerman on how the left has abandoned the Jewish people.
This CNN segment on what happened during the massacre in Israel is difficult to watch — but we can’t and should not look away from what was done there.
Hamas intentionally targeted elementary schools.
Anshel Pfeiffer is a mensch.
So is my friend Dahlia Schiendlin.
I highly recommend this interview with Gershon Baskin
Musical Interlude
I just don't understand people anymore these days ..people kill each other, destroy cities, utilities, and everything in their path...why? For whatever reason those people think they are going to "rule" the world.. let's be honest, nothing comes out of death and destruction except heartache and destroyed countries....look what's happened in Ukraine with Putin going after Ukraine because he wants that land...Trump wants to be dictator of the United States since he screamed " only he can save America" excuse me? All you did first time around was make rich people richer and make the United States look like idiots in the world's eyes...and the republicans stand behind that jerk...it's time people put their hate behind them and live like "God" wants for us ..
Michael,
I really enjoy your work. I don't remember if I first encountered you at the Globe but I am here because of how much I enjoyed your columns there. I have a sub to the BG but was freeloading here. You've given me quite a bit of free "entertainment" so I just subscribed to your substack.
I think your desire for vengeance on behalf of your tribe, to use words from your column, has warped what is usually a clear understanding and exposition on whatever it is you are choosing to write abt on a particular day.
Lets start with the Israeli call to Palestinians in the north to move to the south for an indeterminate amount of time. That's a ludicrous proposition. Its akin to asking everyone in Midtown Manhattan to move Downtown. Besides the logistical impossibility of fitting all those people in South Gaza everyone knows the Israelis are going flatten the north. There will be nothing to come back to. Arguing about whether it was an order, or suggestion or plea doesn't matter in the end.
Yes, Hamas is a terrorist organization and they committed acts of total brutality. Is Likud any better? You can draw a straight line from the Jewish terrorist groups Irgun and the Stern Gang to Likud. You write that Hamas has been poisoning relations since the 90's. Likud has been the dominant Israeli party since the 70's. They have no more interest in peace than Hamas. You also have to consider Likud's / Netanyahu's support of Hamas as a way of preventing the Palestinian Authority from gaining enough power/support to insist on a 2 state solution. No Israeli deserved what happened to them. I just don't think it happened in a vacuum.
I kinda disagree with the suggestion that Israel is not a bunch of nihilistic murderers and that Israel will not purposely target civilians. The IDF uses Palestinian children as human shields, they use white prosperous, they execute prisoners and people who are surrendering, they snipe clearly marked medics and journalists, they bomb boys playing soccer on the beach. They have a whole military prison system set up for just Palestinian children. None of these are one-offs and the people doing these things are very rarely punished.
Can we agree that Gaza is a cage and the people are subject to some pretty intense repression? If you want to be a prison guard then you can never let your guard down. If the inmates ever get the chance, and its all they think about, their vengeance will be especially brutal.
I'm not convinced killing 10-20k Palestinians in the next month will solve Israel's valid security concerns. Hamas cannot be destroyed. It's an anti-colonial idea as much as a political party or terrorist group. I'm not sure Israel can solve their security concerns absent widespread ethnic cleansing. Like - how many Palestinians will Israel have to kill before they give up and accept their cage? We know Likud and perhaps even more so the wildly right parties they allied themselves with to control the govt absolutely believe in Eretz Yisrael. I won't be surprised if this is the opportunity they've been waiting for.
Is Israel going to go after the leadership in Qatar? What do you need to do to eliminate Hamas if you don't kill the leaders?
This is all a fucking disaster. All those people past and coming dead for nothing.
If any of this came off as combative, I apologize. I didn't mean it to be. I really enjoy your work.
solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.