Firstly, it's always difficult to tell what's true and what's false when you're viewing everything through a media lens, so removed from the location. What's real and what's unreal. What's outright propaganda, semi-propaganda and bona fide fact. As ever I tend to step with trepidation, fearing I might be building my own opinions on faulty foundations. It's exhausting questioning everything you see and hear, and demoralising admitting you just don't know, but I don't think that justifies giving in and turning a blind eye to everything. You have to make the effort.
Anyhow, with that weary caveat aside, I'll now give my view on the wider conflict - under the assumption that I at least have the overall picture broadly correct.
In general I'm naturally more pro-Israel, and I have a lot of sympathy for them. They live with the constant threat of terrorism, and not dealing with it isn't an option. It reminds me of Britain and the IRA. You have a situation that is the product of history. One side is the perceived underdog. The grievances lead to terrorism - often supported or funded by outside forces, some of whom may be enemies that view it as a weak spot to be leveraged. If you use force in retaliation to this terrorism it's perceived as further oppression. Which, in turn, generates more sympathy and support for the underdog. It's a cruel bind. So I'm quite sympathetic. I also very much believe that you can't let terrorists win, and that retaliation is not only justified, but necessary.
However, though in principle I'm much more inclined to support Israel, I just cannot support the bombing of civilians. It's just not the right way to fight a war. Of course, it's easy to say this on a blog post, from behind a laptop screen. People will quite rightly respond that life isn't that simple. That you can either go after the terrorists and risk innocent life, or let the terrorists win. You can't have it both ways. Still, I really don't believe in fighting wars in this way. I'd rather do things methodically and risk the lives of my own soldiers - risk defeat even - than kill children. Again though, it's easy to say this as an armchair general, sat so far away from danger.
Would I be saying this if the war was on my own doorstep? I'd like to think I would, but I can't know for sure.
In the old days men would find a field to fight their battles. Bloody and barbarous as it was at least it spared the women and children. This is a romanticised view no doubt, but at least the principle of an honourable war existed. Now, in the modern world, largely thanks to modern technology, it's quite different. I think one of the great tragedies of World War II was that it normalised the idea that good guys could bomb civilians. Normalised that it was somehow acceptable for men to behave this way.
In many ways the entire 20th century was a century of sacrifice. Civilians bombed, civilians put in concentration camps, women and children targeted by terrorists. Not to mention the innumerable aborted children - aborted for mankind's wider benefit. An entire era where instead of shielding the weak and innocent we put them front and centre. The 21st century so far has continued the ethos.
The way all modern countries now value their own soldiers more than the lives of foreign children. I remember during the war in Iraq being shocked at how the media reported the deaths of British soldiers in comparison to civilian deaths. Of course, it's natural that a reluctant war would be measured by the British public in British deaths, but still, I remember being surprised that the deaths of children weren't mourned more greatly. They went uncounted. In fact, as tragic and horrendous as the death of a single British soldier would be, I think nearly all British people would view the death of an innocent child, of any race or nationality, as even worse. I think it's natural to view the life of a child as more precious than that of an adult. I think most soldiers would view things similarly. This natural sense has completely went out the window though.
Watching the entire response to the situation in Israel on Twitter and elsewhere has really sickened me - and I include myself in that. Here we are, adults, sat on smartphones, commenting away, as children are being killed and maimed. There's no honour in this modern life we lead.
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