“Free Palestine.”
It’s a rallying cry that sounds invigorating in the abstract. But those who know history can point to what happened in 2005 when Israel voluntarily left Gaza to Palestinian control.
Hamas turned Gaza into a killing field of Palestinians opposed to its rule and a launch pad against Israel, most grievously on October 7, 2023. The horror of war was made worse by Hamas’ decision to deny ordinary Palestinians sanctuary in its tunnel network. Thousands needlessly died during Israel’s retaliation.
Gazans were never free under Hamas. With billions upon billions of foreign aid pouring into Gaza, the coastal strip could have become an oasis of commerce, tourism and education. It did not. It became a spoil of conflict for Hamas leadership.
In the fog of war, travesties happen. Collateral deaths. Exaggerated, unintended fatalities.
It is when miscalculation becomes official policy, on the record or tolerated, that we must hold leaders, and their designated representatives–their servicemen—to account. A soldier does not forfeit his conscience, his determination of right or wrong, legal or illegal, when a uniform is donned.
Israel’s military rules of engagement are among the world’s most comprehensive and restrictive. Their goal is to minimize civilian casualties while ensuring that hostile combatants are treated humanely.
Even with such strictures, mistakes can happen. But when your own senior government ministers advocate for the removal of Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank it strains credulity to deny the potential truth behind “NAZA,” a documentary by two Israeli filmmakers that alleges government sanctioned attacks on Hamas members disregarded the impact, the extent, of civilian casualties.
The indiscriminate actions described in the film squander the legitimacy of Israel’s response to October 7 and feed the illegitimate calls for Israel’s disappearance as a sovereign state.
“NAZA” is Israel’s My Lai moment.
Few in America in 1968 were ready to believe U.S. troops wantonly killed Vietnamese civilians. But they did.
How Israel responds to “NAZA” will influence how its citizens and the rest of the world relate to the Jewish homeland. Going after the “NAZA” documentarians will not obscure reactions to their work. Israel already must engage in a comprehensive review of its actions and preparedness before October 7. Seeking the truth behind “NAZA” is a warranted addition to its inquiry.
As I write this post Israelis are already praying on Yom Kippur, seeking absolution for actions against other human beings. Among the sins for which forgiveness, pardon and atonement are requested is the following, “We have sinned against You by throwing off all restraint.”
