My shame is that I don’t get sufficiently outraged by pictures such as this.
Or this.
I am ashamed that my typical reaction is that that it’s all very complicated really, that the other side have their reasons, and that the aggressors were probably forced into it.
I see democratic countries – free countries – countries that could and should be providing leadership by example, lowering themselves to the tactics of their enemies, and I shrug my shoulders. I am ashamed that over time I have become morally neutral about such things.
But I look at the Israeli bombardment of Gaza, and even though I know it’s more complicated than this, and even though I appreciate that the other side are far from blameless, and even though I recognise the anger and frustration on the other side, and that there is a strategic logic in play, I can’t help feeling that the bombardment is nevertheless utterly wrong.
When a government bombs mainly innocent civilians, when they show scant regard for the lives of small children and when they don’t give the inhabitants of Gaza the opportunity to flee the fighting, when we see phosphorous devices being used in urban areas, then lets call a spade a spade, we’re witnessing war crimes.
To all those men and women who are prepared to stand up on the side of human rights, I salute you.
Passive Impressions 
I couldn’t agree more. I’ve been watching this happening on TV and increasingly thinking “Why is it that only Israel gets to ignore the UN with impunity – with no danger of the US and its allies invading to stop the bloodshed?”
I couldn’t believe the US abstained from the UN resolution condemning the conflict and calling for a cease fire.
However, as a white westerner from a Christian country (and even though I don’t count myself as Christian), I worry that any criticism by me of either side is judged as having inherent anti-Semitic or anti-Muslim bias.
The main victims in war are civilians and truth.
What’s happening in Gaza is … horrendous … at occasions as this my non-nativeness in English takes its tolls when it comes to explain my sentiments.
Nevertherless, it’s just another example of how religious fanaticism gets in the way of common sense. What if “ordinary people” at both sides of the border just told their leaders – self appointed or not – to just f*ck off and mind their own dirty business somewhere else where nobody else got hurt.
Hmm, nice one Israel, on the phosphorus front too…The Geneva Treaty of 1980 stipulates that white phosphorus should not be used as a weapon of war in civilian areas but, conveniently, there is no blanket ban under international law on its use as a smokescreen or for illumination.
The number of horrendous images the media is flooded with, it’s so difficult to stop oneself from becoming immune to their impact. That’s why I though “Waltz with Bashir” was astonishing – the cartoon format and the switch at the end had such an impact.
It seems that someone in the UN now is calling for an investigation into possible war crimes.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/UKNews1/idUKTRE50851M20090109?sp=true
Thanks everyone for commenting. The timing and ending of this attack seems so cynical.. The Israeli government obviously anticipate that they will get a harder time from the Obama administration, so they struck in the last days of the Bush administration, knowing that they could get away with it.
No one could make a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.
Edmund Burke 12 January 1729 – 9 July 1797