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Source: http://washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20060723-093643-5484r.htm
Malicious Intent
[Washington Times] Frederick Grab - The notion that war is an appropriate response to attack is recognized in the UN Charter. And so Israel is now at war with Hamas and Hizballah. I believe that the acceptable level of retaliation primarily hinges, not on the relative degree of damage, but on the intent of the parties involved. In our own criminal justice system, intent is often an important element. Those responsible for the current attacks on Israel have the stated aim of its destruction. On the other hand, Israel has shown many times that it has no intention of destroying any of its Muslim neighbors. Its goal is simply to be allowed to live in peace. At present, death and martyrdom are major themes in radical Muslim rhetoric. How does a nation fight against an enemy so motivated which hides among a supposedly innocent civilian population? The answer: by means of war. Casualties in this conflict are disheartening, but not extreme by the standard of any previous regional conflict. They would be reduced to zero if Hizballah and Hamas released their hostages and ceased their actions directed at the destruction of Israel. The writer is a former California deputy attorney general.