JustASC

The ADL has a new survey gauging American Jewish attitudes toward the war in Gaza. The bottom line, according to their release:

American Jews overwhelmingly supported Israel in its actions against Hamas in Gaza….

Which would suggest I am really in the minority when I say I remain conflicted about the war. Unless…

I also would have answered “yes” to the questions ADL asked. Do I express sympathy for Israel over Hamas? (Duh.)  Do I believe that Hamas was responsible for the escalation of the violence? (Surely.) 

But note how they asked if the use of force was appropriate:

Which view is closer to your own?

Israel’s (military) response to the current crisis in Gaza is EXCESSIVE: Israel has every right to protect its
people from the rocket attacks of the Hamas radicals, but its use of air strikes, and sending troops into
Gaza is a disproportionate response to the current crisis. The Hamas rocket attacks are not a serious
threat to Israel’s existence.
OR
Israel’s (military) response to the current crisis in Gaza is APPROPRIATE. Israel pursued every diplomatic
channel possible to persuade Hamas to stop firing their rockets into Israel. Further, Israeli leaders issued
repeated warnings that unless Hamas radicals stopped firing rockets into Israel, Israel’s only alternative
was the use of military force.

There is an awful lot packed into those two extremely leading questions. If the question is, “Was it appropriate for Israel to use force,” then I say yes — Israel had the right and responsiblity to protect its citizens. If you ask me if it was appropriate to send in the troops, I’d say yes — again, a military reaction was justified. But there is a third question, not asked: Do I think the way the military response was carried out was excessive? And if asked, I’d honestly say, “How do I know?” Since there was no clear-cut resolution to the three weeks of fighting, and I am no military man, how can I say what the appropriate number of casualties should be? (The way the question is worded implies that that as long as you support some kind of military response, you mustn’t question the decisions of generals or politicians.) The ADL’s either/or questions don’t leave room for those who defend Israel’s right to defend itself, and support a military response, but are still seeking answers about the extent and efficacy of the operation. 

Here’s another question:

[W]hich is closer to your own views:

Israel must be mindful of the views of average Arab citizens and pursue policies that will win the “hearts
and minds” of the Arab world. Israel’s long-term ability to live in peace with its Arab neighbors will depend
importantly on the acceptance of Israel’s right to exist among the Arab population.
OR
Israel’s first responsibility is to protect its citizens. For sixty years, Israel has done everything possible to
reach peaceful accords with its Arab neighbors. It is the leadership of the Arab world that has blocked
progress and it is their responsibility to persuade their citizens they should live in peace with Israel.

ADL says 79% of respondents said that Israel’s responsibility is to protect its citizens. 

But again, the question is binary. It assumes that in fulfilling its responsibility to protect its citizens, Israel must sacrifice its ability to win Arab hearts and minds. Why is that either/or? The question mashes together two different ideas that are not necessarily in conflict.

When Israel is under attack from the usual global hypocrites, it’s probably not the best time for a nuanced conversation over what combination of military strength and diplomatic creativity can bring Israel the ultimate peace and security it craves and deserves. But if that conversation never comes, then we have seen the future — and it looks like Operation Cast Lead.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 29th, 2009 at 5:24 pm and is filed under JustASC. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.