Higher Moral Ground

August 6, 2024

I wrote this essay on October 8, 2023, the day after the Hamas-led attack and slaughter of unsuspecting Isralis at a music festival. Violence begets violence and it was inevitable that Israel would respond – the question on my mind that day was how would they respond. 

The death toll is now estimated to be over 37,000 Palestinian people with no end in sight.  However this number is likely the lowest estimate, the actual number could be 5 times this estimate. Read this article from The Lancet for greater detail.

Hamas Attack in Israel 

“He started it,“ said the young boy.

“Who started it doesn’t matter,” said the wise mother, "two wrongs never make a right.”

I condemn Hamas leaders for bringing a horrific, disgusting, immoral tragedy down upon their people. What did you hope to gain by such a blatantly suicidal action? Only more hatred is what you have wrought and horror and tens of thousands deaths of your own children.

So now the Israelis have justification, higher moral ground, to continue to kill for revenge? More immorality and atrocities in response? No, "two wrongs never make a right.”

Israel has one of the most advanced intelligence apparatus in the world and they claim they did not see it coming? Only a fool can believe that.

There is no such thing as higher moral ground. It is a highly subjective measure.  It is sadly a completely human thing, this depravity. 

I condemn Israeli leaders for reacting with such disregard for the lives of innocents. Killing with impunity colored by cruelty. This will come back on the Israelis for decades to come. 

It is human nature. When someone wrongs us, we want to retaliate. Infuriated, we hold on to memories of these ‘wrongs,’ and when given the opportunity, we respond in kind, unless we choose to take a wiser path, the path to reconciliation, the path to peace. 

Judaism prohibits the taking of revenge. These Israeli leaders are hypocrites (and now war criminals).

I condemn any leader who cannot see their way to the path to peace. Humankind will not thrive, nor survive if our leaders do not. We must do what is required to seriously walk along the path to peace.

Have these Israeli leaders not learned what our parents taught us about two wrongs? 

I wonder how many human beings the Israelis have killed out of revenge since 1948? How many more deaths will it take Israelis, 60 million? How many deaths will it take to satisfy your bloodlust? Are you better than the Nazis? Then demonstrate it. Because since October 8, 2023 you have shown no compassion for the innocents trapped by this cruel tragedy. Worse, you have labeled innocent children terrorists to justify your crimes against humanity.

How many more Palestinians will you cause to become radicalized? How many more enemies of Israel have you created?

When will world leaders become wise and work to end the carnage, human suffering and deaths of innocents? When will the media draw attention to the fact that most Palestinians are not Hamas terrorists but simple people trapped by true terror mongers from both sides of the argument. 

Those who seek justification for murder and war have no higher moral ground. 

Why do some find it impossible to give humanity a chance?