Israel-Palestine War: Killing Hamas Is Defensible, But Killing Civilians And Children Is Indefensible -By Isaac Asabor

It is no more news that on October 7, 2023 that the Palestinian armed resistance group, Hamas launched an attack that unprecedentedly caught Israel unaware, with the fighters attacking Israeli military installations and enclaves, resulting to the demise of several lives that were estimated to have totaled 1,400 together with holding 230 of them captive.

Expectedly in retaliation, Israel responded by carrying out an onslaught on Gaza, imposed a complete barricade and unremittingly bombed civilian buildings and infrastructure, leaving more than 6,500 Palestinians dead, including more than 2,000 children. Since the reprisal attack was carried out, news report has it that Israel has unrelentingly been carrying out strikes in Gaza, even as the Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry says more than 8,000 people have been killed.

Against the foregoing backdrop, it is expedient to opine that since Israel began to pound the Hamas, and inadvertently the Palestinians; both from the air and recently from the ground, precisely from the Gaza strip in its retaliatory move, that the world; irrespective of religious and ideological leanings, have been calling on Israel to temper justice with mercy, even as Israel is been lampooned from all corners of the earth for being callous and considered to be killing a fly with a sledgehammer. Even as at the time of writing this piece, discussion that dwelt on the need for Israel to forgive the Palestine was passionately talked about, mostly with religious fervor.

In as much as the world is known for hypocritically mouthing the axiomatic expression, “To Err Is Human, To Forgive Is Divine” amid any given crisis such asthe kind that is presently been witnessed by Israel and the Hamas, and by extension the Palestine, it is expedient to opine that the proverb is easier said than brought to bear whenever crisis or war occurs. Unfortunately, Roberto Assagjoli in his quotable quote on the need for humans to forgive said “Without forgiveness life is governed by an endless cycle of resentment and retaliation”.

Given the foregoing, it is therefore defensible when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday reiterated that his country, Israel, would not agree to a ceasefire with Hamas despite international pleas for such a deal.

Netanyahu compared the unprecedented terrorist attacks on Oct. 7 that left roughly 1,400 people dead, of which the vast majority of whom were civilians, to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, which prompted the United States’ entrance into World War II.

He said, “I want to make clear Israel’s position regarding the ceasefire. Just as the United States would not agree to a ceasefire after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, or after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Israel will not agree to a cessation of hostilities with Hamas after the horrific attacks of Oct. 7,” Netanyahu said. “Calls for a ceasefire or calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terrorists, surrender to barbarism that will not happen.”

To anyone that understands how difficult it is to forgive, particularly when crisis that calls for forgiveness is characterized by loss of lives as it happened to the Israelis on October 7, 2023 when it was attacked by the Hamas, and which left 1,400 Israelis dead together with holding 230 of them captive, the stance taken by Netanyahu cannot in anyway be misplace as it is defensible and comprehensible. .

To buttress the foregoing view, it is explanatory to say that many people believe that by forgiving, we are denying the severity of an offence. It is like saying that what our offender did wrong doesn’t really matter. Nothing could be further from the truth. Forgiveness does not overlook the offence, even though some people believe that when God forgives our sin, He overlooks our sin. That is not what the Bible teaches! The Bible says, “The Lord is slow to get angry, but His power is great, and He never lets the guilty go unpunished.” Nahum 1:3a NLT.

In a similar vein, Jesus paid the price for our sinful offences at the Calvary and teaches His disciples to pray in Matthew 6:12 NIV saying, “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors”. Forgiveness does not pretend that an offence has not occurred. But there is a philosophical view on forgiveness, and which everyone shares together. It goes thus: If forgiveness is going to simply gloss over the serious wrongs that have been done to me, then I shouldn’t have to forgive.

Again, forgiveness lets people off the hook too easily. For instance, one of the most basic hindrances to forgiveness is the fear of further abuse. We have a legitimate concern that forgiving our offender will give him or her permission to hurt us even more deeply. Such a legitimate fear about the consequences of forgiveness probably prompted Peter to ask Jesus, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” Matthew 18:21 NLT. Many of us think like Peter. We mistakenly think that there must be some limit to forgiveness.

Without a doubt, forgiveness places too much responsibility on the offended. For instance, a convincing argument can be made for the fact that asking victims to ‘let go of their pain’ and deny their desire for justice is placing too much responsibility on the person who has been hurt instead of the offender. Isn’t it illogical to place the burden on the victim of the wrong and expect them to be able to let go of serious hurts? Are we asking too much of them? So, we reason, “If forgiveness is going to place such a heavy burden on my shoulders, then I shouldn’t have to forgive.”

Still in the same vein, forgiveness becomes unfair, particularly when the forgiver gradually have to consider these offbeat objections to clemency. Again, as we have inadvertently uncovered the bottom-line argument on which all other objections to forgiveness are based, it is logical to look at the act of forgiveness from the perspective of the monstrous attack which the Hamas unleashed on the Israelites on that black Saturday. Given the backdrop, it will not be odd to say that forgiveness is unfair!

Still in the same nexus, it is not an exaggeration to opine that all of us are created in the image of God, and regardless of how badly that image has been marred by sin, we still retain a sense of innate fairness. When we see a wrong committed, we instinctively know that it is unjust for that wrong to go unpunished.

At this juncture, it is expedient to conclude that all the foregoing rational objectives arise from a basic misunderstanding of the concept of forgiveness.

In as much as the foregoing conjectures on why Israel has refused to cease fire in its ongoing war with the Hamas, it is reasonable to say that it is understandable and defensible. On the other hand, it can be said to be incomprehensible and indefensible, particularly as civilian casualties been recorded in the war that started in less than a month is horrific and gory. Since it started, children have been the major casualties.

Thus, analyzed from the perspective of the rule of proportionality, some observers have asked whether Israel can win the war with the slaughtering of civilians and children as long as the war prevails, and with morality of war in place. Contrary to lawyers, philosophers, and military practitioners who have sought to liberalize the proportionality standard, it is expedient to opine in this context that attempts to morally justify more civilian death has failed.

In fact, it is indefensible and incomprehensible that both Israel and Palestine have in since on October 7, 2023 been killing and maiming children in the conflict between them despite the fact that the war crime been committed is one of the six grave violations identified and condemned by the UN Security Council.  The six grave violations form the basis of the Council’s architecture to monitor, report and respond to abuses suffered by children in times of war. Ending and preventing these violations is also the focus of the Special Representative’s work and advocacy.