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The Betrayal of the Intellectual

(Huffington Post) Yair Lapid - Too many American and European intellectuals have taken moral relativism to its absurd extreme, falling back upon the "validity of every narrative" and repeating the mantra that "every story has two sides." They treat those who have a clear moral stance as primitive. For them, if you take a moral stand or choose a side in a conflict you must lack the necessary tolerance to "see the other side." Not long ago intellectuals did the exact opposite. They were the ones who helped us differentiate between good and evil, between right and wrong, between justice and injustice. They didn't ask whether the Germans felt a genuine sense of hardship. The debate wasn't over feelings but the essence of truth. During Israel's operation in Gaza, there should be no question as to who enlightened people should support; on one side stands a Western democracy, which warns civilians before striking legitimate terrorist targets. On the other side stands an Islamist terrorist organization, homophobic and misogynistic, committed to killing Jews, which does all in its power to murder innocent civilians. When Hamas forces civilians to stand on the roof of a building which is used as a terrorist command center despite knowing that the building will be attacked (and they know because we warn them), who are we to hold responsible? When Hamas places rockets and explosives inside UN schools and fires from within hospitals, who are we to hold responsible? Hamas sees Western intellectuals who buy into their gruesome propaganda as a tool, to be used and to be mocked. The writer is Israel's Minister of Finance.
2014-08-11 00:00:00
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