Comments Elsewhere

Will: Can you seriously expect Israelis to give Lebanese civilians equal importance as their families?

That depends on what context you’re speaking in. Importance for what?

If you mean, “Should Israelis give innocent Lebanese strangers as many birthday presents as they give their own family members?” then of course the answer is no.

If you mean, “Should Israelis feel the same urgent need to rescue innocent Lebanese strangers from danger as they feel towards their own family members?” then the answer is probably still no, but less obviously so.

If you mean, “Should Israelis be willing to actively go out and ”slaughter” innocent Lebanese strangers in order to protect their own family members from danger?” then the answer is no, they should not. Murder is wrong.

Will: Given the choice of saving a dozen people I don’t know or my wife I would choose my wife. I wouldn’t care how unethical it was.

We’re not talking about a situation where Lebanese civilians just happen to be in danger, and Israelis have to choose between “saving” them or saving their family members. We’re talking about a situation in which the IDF is rolling out, professedly in the name of ordinary Israelis, and actively killing innocent Lebanese civilians, supposedly in the process of trying to damage or destroy a guerrilla army (Hizbollah), which many of those civilians are not members of.

So the “choice” you pose here is a weak analogy at best. The proper question to pose to yourself is: would you be willing to go out and murder a dozen people you don’t know in the process of saving your wife from some unrelated menace.

I wouldn’t. And if you would, then you’re a fucking sociopath.