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Israel Is Not Morally Required to Sacrifice Its People to Save Gazan Civilians
(New York Post) Alan Dershowitz and Andrew Stein - Recent polls show overwhelming support by Gazans not only for Hamas but also for its barbarities of Oct. 7. The only way to get the civilian population of Gaza out of the arms of Hamas is to show them that atrocities committed by Hamas will hurt the civilians of Gaza as well as the terrorists of Hamas. This message is intended for most adults, men and women alike, many of whom not only cheer for Hamas but are complicit in their terrorism by allowing themselves to be used as human shields and their homes and mosques to be used as hiding places for weapons and commanders. When the Allies killed hundreds of thousands of German and Japanese civilians during World War II, this did not drive the surviving civilians into the arms of the enemy. To the contrary, the show of strength and the total victory of the Allies drove most of them into the arms of the victors who promised them a better life - and delivered. Israel is doing more than any military in history to try to minimize the civilian casualties that are caused by Hamas. The world - and especially the U.S. - should understand that when Hamas undertook the barbarous attack on Israel with the help, support and approval of many Gazans, they sentenced their civilian population to disastrous consequences, just as the Germans and Japanese did when they started World War II. Israeli soldiers should not be required to sacrifice their lives and to forgo an Israeli victory to protect the citizens of Gaza from self-inflicted wounds caused by Hamas. Moreover, the greatest beneficiaries of the total defeat of Hamas would be the civilians of Gaza, even if they don't realize it. The same was true for the civilians of Germany and Japan. Alan Dershowitz is professor emeritus at Harvard Law School. Andrew Stein served as New York City Council president (1986-94).