War is an unavoidable tragedy for civilians – innocent and otherwise

The number of civilian deaths in Gaza – and now Lebanon– has become a major issue.  In fact, it is the number one issue for the Hamas, anti-Israel and antisemitic community.  Fortunately, it has become the number one issue for the Biden administration and for Vice President Harris.

The number one issue should be – and is – the vicious barbaric attack on Israeli citizens –and folks from 40 other nations —  on October 7, 2023.

Yes, Biden and Harris pay lip service to “the right of Israel to defend itself.”  They call Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists.  They deplore the October 7 attack on Isreal.  Then there is the big “but.”

That is when they criticize Israel’s conduct of the war. Biden & Company say Israel is causing the deaths of too many casualties.  That is when they demand an immediate unilateral ceasefire – without regard to the reasons and the objectives of the war.

When Jake Tapper interviewed White House security spokesperson John Kirby on the bombing of the Hezbollah headquarters in Beirut, the CNN host spent most of the interview questioning Kirby on the impact on civilians – essentially taking up the terrorist propaganda theme.

There are several questions that need to be answered if we are to understand the civilian casualty issues.  It is possible to carry out an Augustinian “just war” without casualties? The obvious answer is no.  With that truth in mind, how do we limit civilian casualties?

In terms of the Hamas war, we know that Israel undertakes exceptional and nonconventional actions to limit the number of civilians injured and killed. They use various forms of communication to warn civilians of future attacks.  They have moved large numbers of civilians from ongoing war zones.

This is a stark difference from the civilian casualty issue when looked at historically.  Earlier wars – even as late as the Civil War — were fought between combatants on a field of battle.  Civilians were not in the line of fire.  In fact, at the Battle of Gettysburg, civilian observers lined the battlefield to watch the action.

The historic battles that kept civilians out of harm’s way had notable exceptions.  Those were wars in which the genocidal massacre of civilian men, women and children was intentional – often the very objective of the conflict.  Ironically, the closest example we have today is the Islamic terrorists’ attack on Israel – as was the Nazi effort to exterminate Jews.

The concept of unintentional and unavoidable civilian casualties is largely an affectation of modern warfare – the result of bomb and missile technology.  While great attention is paid to current civilian casualties, the number pales compared to previous wars.  It is estimated that up to 30 million civilians were killed in World War II.  Even smaller wars took a high toll of civilians.  It is estimated that 3 million civilians died in the Korean Conflict and 2 million in the Vietnam War.

Still, in no conflict has the issue of civilian deaths been more prominent than in the war against the Hamas terrorist organization that controls Gaza – and now as the war moves north into Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon.  Israel has come under unusually harsh criticism for the number of civilian deaths – including an indictment of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamen Netanyahu as a war criminal by the World Court.  The issue has also undermined the close relationship between Israel and the Biden administration.

But … is the criticism fair?

First and foremost, the tens of thousands of civilians killed in the Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist campaigns would be alive today if I were not for the aggressive actions of the terrorist groups.  They started the war with attacks on Israel.

And certainly, the number of civilian causalities would have significantly reduced had the terrorists not intentionally and callously embedded in the most vulnerable civilian centers – schools, hospitals, refuge centers and private homes. They used the civilian population not only as shields but used their deaths as a key element in their propaganda campaigns.  The terrorists see victory in the death of every Jew AND in the death of every Arab civilian.

There is also the question as to how innocent is the co-called innocent population.  Antisemitism and support for Hamas is deeply engrained in the Palestinian community.  Hatred of Jews – to the point of extermination – is taught in school to the youngest children.  We see no resistance movement against Hamas among the general population.  When hostages were paraded through the streets, citizens lined the streets to jeer, spit on them and throw stones.  In terrorism, the line between a combatant and a private citizen is blurred.  Young children are trained to engage in terrorist tactics.

For sure, there are a lot of truly innocent civilian victims – especially among the women and the youngest children.  But that tragedy is the fault of the terrorists and their unrelenting war on the State of Isreal and the Jewish people.

Isreal’s desire is to live peacefully with its Arab neighbors.  That is evident in the many Arab nations that are not at war with Israel – that do not call for the end of Israel and the annihilation of the Jewish people.  The Arab nations that have signed peace agreements with Israel and recognize the right of Israel to exist. 

Each of those relationships is essentially a two-state solution based on mutual respect.  That dynamic was about to expand with an agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia – until Iran disrupted the process by having its terrorist puppets provoke a war with Israel.

It would appear that Israel will no longer accept the piecemeal attacks as normal.  It will not accept having to move a large number of citizens out of their homes because of incessant terrorist missile attacks.

It appears that Israel is mounting an offense to crush the terrorist network in Gaza, Lebanon and wherever it exists – including in Tehran, if necessary.   It is both a just and necessary mission.  America – and the civilized nations – should not only hope Israel succeeds but should help in every way possible.

So, there ‘tis.