The Israel-Palestinian War has moved from smoldering to HOT in the last week – after Hamas launched its deadly incursion across Israel’s Maginot Wall – not AROUND, like Hitler’s Germans did during WWII. This war has never been Cold since it started in 1948, but now it looks like it might just set off the Armageddon of the Christian Bible, the source – not so incidentally – of the Muslim and Jewish faiths!! They say the most visceral hates are among family, so, maybe to understand the unfolding viciousness, we should go back to the foundation document??
Wiki tells us that “Hamas” ‘…is the Old Testament’s primary term for violence. It is first used in Genesis: “the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence”. It occurs sixty times in the Hebrew Bible, is almost always used to identify physical violence, and is used to describe human, not divine, violence… Among the violent acts included are war, human sacrifice, animal sacrifice, rape and genocide’.
“In the Bible, God commands the Israelites to conquer the “Promised Land”, placing city after city “under the ban” – which meant every man, woman and child was supposed to be slaughtered at the point of the sword. For example, in Deuteronomy, God orders the Israelites to “not leave alive anything that breathes…completely destroy them…”, thus leading many scholars to characterize these as commands to commit genocide. Other examples include the story of the Amalekites, the War against the Midianites, and the Battle of Jericho.
In terms of killing babies, in the battle of Jericho, Wiki tells us, “Following God’s law, the Israelites killed every man and woman of every age, as well as the oxen, sheep, and donkeys. Only Rahab, her parents, brothers and all “those who belonged to her” were spared. They were incorporated into Israel. Joshua then cursed anybody who rebuilt the foundations and gates (of Jericho), with the deaths of their firstborn and youngest child respectively.”
The point your Eyewitness is making is that when folks believe LITERALLY in their religious foundational texts, they’ll have a mindset that accepts even notions that seem off the wall nowadays. Over the ages, scholars like St Aquinas have attempted to modify the use of violence through their definition of “just wars” etc. But then you’ll have individuals pointing out the WORD of their GOD is being transgressed!!
To justify raining missiles on Gaza, for instance, the generals might refer to Revelation: “The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.”
…international law?
But while we will have the folks who stand by their religious beliefs, ever since the Treaty of Westphalia – which created the modern state system – a system of international law has evolved that’s supposed to proscribe actions by states. So how does the Israeli warning that a million citizens of North Gaza evacuate to South Gaza stack up?? Well, international humanitarian law says the warning must be “effective” – that is, it must give enough time for the evacuees to get out. The evacuations must also be “unimpeded”! Bombing whole sections in the meantime doesn’t qualify!! Or bombing those who’re actually on their way. Or preventing humanitarian supplies from get to them, etc…
Violating these international laws constitutes “war crimes”. And if there’s any doubt about the siege that Israel has imposed – which has cut off water, electricity, food supplies etc – starvation of civilian populations does qualify!!
So, what’re the law-abiding states gonna do about these war crimes? We’ll be learning about the strong versus the weak!!
