Israeli society fails undertake serious self-examination of its actions
(MENAFN) Despite the enormous toll of the war, including tens of thousands of deaths, Israeli society has failed to undertake a serious self-examination of its actions. In fact, the response to the International Criminal Court's (ICC) decision to issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant, accusing them of crimes against Gaza’s civilians, has been marked by denial and blame directed at the court itself. Israel’s mainstream media quickly dismissed the ICC’s findings and suggested creating a local commission of inquiry to avoid international investigation. A society that values ethical behavior or its reputation should have already initiated a process of self-reflection, especially after ignoring critical external perspectives on Israel's actions in Gaza. At the very least, the ICC's decision should have led to a reconsideration of the “generals' plan” for Gaza, which is accused of aligning with the crimes outlined by the court. It is rare for a suspect to deny accusations while continuing to carry out the alleged actions. Additionally, former army chief Moshe Ya'alon’s public acknowledgment of ethnic cleansing in Gaza should have sparked serious debate, but instead, he faced backlash.
Criticism of my recent article, "The Most Moral Army in the World, a Thousand Times More Americans" (published on 11/22 in Haaretz), further reflects this denial. My argument that Israel's military actions in Gaza could have been deterred by a lack of international legitimacy was largely ignored, with the focus shifted to a misunderstanding of the statistics I presented. I argued that by lifting past restrictions, Israel enabled itself to target residential buildings with heavy bombardment, effectively creating “extermination zones” where any entry, including by civilians, made someone a legitimate target. This tactic underestimates the risk to Israeli soldiers during ground combat. The ethical dilemma I raised—about balancing the safety of soldiers with the protection of civilians—has been central in international law. Numbers alone don’t tell the full story; they are a reflection of military strategy, not discipline breaches by individual soldiers.
The article also faced accusations of downplaying Israeli casualties. It was suggested I wanted more Israeli soldiers to die, which misrepresents my position. The ethical dilemma of how much to risk soldiers’ lives to protect innocent civilians should have continued to be a topic of discussion, especially after Operation Protective Edge in 2014. Instead, the current war reflects a dangerous trend of “zero risk” for soldiers, leading to unchecked use of force and disregard for civilian immunity. This mentality has contributed to tragic incidents, such as the killing of three Israeli hostages in Gaza, an event that could have been avoided if reasonable risks had been taken.
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