Hi unclewest; Re: "CB, attacking, capturing or destroying related civilian property has always been part of the war process." [With regard to destroying homes shared by suicide bombers in Palestine.]
I agree with your observation completely, but Israel is not at war with the Palestinians. What they're doing is an ineffectual police action.
My problem with the Israeli actions is not necessarily the morality, but the efficacy.
This nation brought the Germans and Japanese to their knees (begging for us to accept their unconditional surrender in return for peace), by killing about 2% of their populations per year. There are something like 5 million Palestinians. Israel would have to kill 100,000 per year to match what we did. But they're not even close to doing that. All that the Israelis are doing is breeding hatred. And the Palestinians are doing the same.
Unconditional surrender is a simple policy objective. "Limited war" as in Vietnam, is a much more difficult thing, particularly when the objective is to make the other guy quit fighting. Here is an example of what the loser says when the fighting really is over:
I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed. Looking Glass is dead. Toohoolhoolzote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say, "Yes" or "No." He who led the young men [Olikut] is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are -- perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.
4literature.net
Getting the other guy to say something like this should be the objective of offensive (i.e. going into another guys territory and breaking things) military action. Anything less is to throw away the lives of our men, and to uselessly take the lives of those on the other side. Weak action only deepens the anger of the other side and makes him believe that he can outlast you.
-- Carl |
