I wrote this exactly a year ago in November, which reminded me that the recent escalation we just had in Israel marked a year since last year's major escalation with Gaza. I figured I'd share it since I spent the time writing it and never actually did anything with it. Perhaps some of you will agree with my views. PDF here.
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Opinion: At What Point Does Israel’s Being Moral Actually Become Immoral?
In light of the current events in southern Israel along the Gaza border, there is much frustration consuming not only members of the Israeli government but also Israelis and Zionists alike.
November of last year saw a record-high number of rockets targeting southern Israel, making it the heaviest bombardment since the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas, the terrorist organization governing the Palestinians living in Gaza. This attack came after months of Palestinians flying incendiary kites and balloons into Israel and starting fires along the Gaza border, both of which have resulted in an overwhelming amount of agricultural terrorism. This attack came several days after Israel allowed $15 million to enter Gaza from Qatar, in order to get Hamas to stop the riots on the border and the burning of Israeli land.
When Hamas called a cease-fire right after targeting Israel with about 460 rockets, Israel accepted it. It is a common practice for Hamas to attack Israel, receive an equal and restraint-focused response from Israel, and then to decide to pause its little game when it can't face what it essentially asked for.
Israel’s Security Cabinet on Wednesday reversed its decision not to permit the Qatari transfer of $15 million, the third installment approved by Israel’s government, in order to ease tensions and avoid a potential humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The initial decision not to permit the funding stemmed from renewed Palestinian rioting and violence along the Gaza-Israel border
Despite multiple opportunities for statehood and peace, continuous aid and support from Israel, as well as receiving international aid- the Palestinian people are still represented under refugee status. In fact, they have held this status for the longest amount of time out of all refugee populations to ever exist. This isn't too surprising, considering the fact that humanitarian aid is used to fund rockets, terror tunnels and incendiary devices, and to pay terrorists and their families. While Abbas continues to admit to using the money for these reasons alone, the international community and Israel sustain this practice directly through their actions.
Israel even gave up Gaza for peace back in 2005. Thousands of Israelis were forcibly removed from their homes by the Israeli government, and those families are now the ones dealing with rockets being sent from the very land they gave up so that they would never have to deal with such terror at all. The government that forced them out of their homes for peace is the very same government that now will not take the necessary steps to protect them from harm and imminent death. Despite all of this, Israel continues to provide the Palestinians with humanitarian aid because the Palestinian leadership does not.
Although there are Palestinians who want peace and are willing to work alongside Israelis, can we rely on this argument alone? Look what happened just several months ago with the Barkan terrorist. Can we take chances with Israeli lives? Do their lives not matter as much as the Palestinians'? Although much of the world seems to think so, why does Israel seem to accept this view? Even if the government states that it does not hold this view, its actions (or its lack thereof) send a different message.
While some argue that it is important for Israel to provide aid for those in the Gaza Strip who are suffering at the hands of their government, others argue that Israel must put its people first- as any other country would and should do. They question why Israel must hold up its moral standards when so many Palestinians do not. Why the double standard?
Why is Israel, a country of good moral standing, negotiating with terrorists? Why does the fate of the security of the state of Israel have to be under the terms of Hamas? Even more critical, is it moral to give those who hate you and could potentially cause more harm to you and others (sending children as suicide bombers, targeting civilians, forcing civilians to enter what are essentially war zones) any form of aid?
It is unfortunate that one must even grapple with the concept of morality, however, what more can be expected when dealing with terrorists? While I feel an innate desire to maintain a "moral" view on this issue and feel pain at the thought of others suffering, I do not view these ideas as a lack of moral clarity. Not anymore. Not at this point in the game. I can no longer bear to see Israelis living in bomb shelters and crying out for help. They have sacrificed more than enough. Nobody else will help them. How could the people running the single Jewish state abandon them too?
We must question what our sensitivity has done for the betterment of the situation, people's lives, our country, and the peace process. Our sensitivity does not seem to have helped us all that much.
At what point has Israel's being moral actually become immoral? Israel has continued along this path of providing aid for so long, and Israeli lives are still threatened and directly affected by the actions of those who the country is upholding. How can we sacrifice the safety and wellbeing of our people, for those who would not consider, even for a moment, sacrificing for us?
How can Israel justify the sending of millions of dollars and aid when Hamas is still holding the bodies of Israel’s captured soldiers and when the Palestinian people celebrate the murder of Israeli civilians? What kind of message does this send to our soldiers, those who have died for Israel, to Israelis in the south and in general, and to the world?
