Understanding Israel’s actions doesn’t equal approval of them. The difference between the two gets lost sometimes.
Fans of the original Star Trek series should know the difference. In the episode “A Taste of Armageddon”, Spock clarifies the difference.
In that particular episode, Kirk and Spock are listening to a political leader of a planet that is at war with another planet. The leader has just explained the reasoning for the real deaths of civilians despite the fact that the war is actually a war simulation ran entirely by computers.
Spock admits that there is logic behind the reasoning. The political leader replies to Spock, “I’m glad you approve.” That is when Spock retorts,
After Hamas attacked Israel on 07 October 2023, the Israeli government responded with an action that has been condemned by numerous parties.
In my TMV post “Do people really understand what war is?” I express my understanding of Israel’s response.
In that post, I do what Spock does in the aforementioned Star Trek episode: I do not approve. I understand.
That isn’t the case with plenty of people who took to the-website-formerly-known-as-Twitter to express outrage about Israel’s action.
The people expressing outrage show no understanding as to what it must be like to be living in Israel right now.
For the record, I have never been in Israel. In fact, I have never been in a war zone.
I suspect that those who express outrage without expressing understanding have never been in a war zone, either.
Whether they admit it or not, Israel is a war zone. The Israeli leaders on the ground there have a perspective unlike that of people who are in safe locations far away from the war.
Will Israel’s leaders make bad decisions? Of course they will. You would, too, if you were the one in a war zone.
Sure, being far from a war doesn’t mean that one doesn’t have a right to comment on that war.
However, one doesn’t have to act pious while doing so.
I have witnessed on the-website-formerly-known-as-Twitter plenty of people acting pious while criticizing Israel’s leaders.
Do these critics really think that they wouldn’t make bad decisions if they were in the shoes of Israel’s leaders?
In the aforementioned Star Trek episode, Spock remains calm and soft-spoken while expressing disapproval of that political leader’s action.
Regarding how the Israeli government fights Hamas, it would be more beneficial to respond the way that Spock does than to respond with histrionics.
The “Wanted” posters say the following about David: “Wanted: A refugee from planet Melmac masquerading as a human. Loves cats. If seen, contact the Alien Task Force.”