Reply #9: Do You Support That Military Action, Ma'am? [View All]

You may forgive me for suggesting several items to consider in answering.

First, it is a form of military action, namely the indiscriminate targeting of civilians, that all authorities without question recognize as a criminal act under the laws of war. While it is possible to argue over whether an Israeli helicopter firing a guided missile at an automobile containing two armed militants on a busy street in Gaza is or is not criminal, there is no possible argument that aiming an unguided rocket more or less at the center of Siderot and letting fly is not criminal.

Second, it is a military action that is utterly futile in any military sense. It cannot achieve any material effect sufficient to hamper any Israeli military operation; it cannot achieve any moral effect on the Israeli populace sufficient to persuade it to force its government to switch from employing military force for its protection to seeking terms for cessation of the attacks as the best means for its protection.

Third, it is an action that many point to as proof that the worst motives towards Israel must be attributed to the leadership of Arab Palestine, and by extension the people of Arab Palestine who support that leadership. It certainly seems to many to serve as a prop for hard-line Israeli politcians, and convince many Israelis there is no sense in any course that involves negotiation and compromise. There is no question it provokes actions by the Israeli government that work to the great daily detriment of the people of Arab Palestine.