The Continuing Battle of Gaza

The fallout from the Gaza War continues in Israel, although it is not widely reported here.  You can read transcripts of accounts from IDF soldiers here.

This transcript is harrowing.  On the one hand, I cannot argue with the premise that protecting the lives of IDF soldiers is paramount. This is a military theatre in which the distinction between civilian and combatant is blurred by virtue of Hamas' appalling actions.  A young boy could, in fact, be a combatant.  But, he could also just be a young boy in the wrong place.  Thus, on the other hand, I'm not sure how any sophisticated person cannot but feel great ambivalence about these accounts.  

Gideon Levy's column in Haaretz is a particularly harsh critique of the IDF.  This editorial in Haaretz is also worth reading.  This editorial asserts that the declared achievements of Operation Cast Lead are dissipating...if there were in fact any in the first place.

However, the most disturbing bit of news recently, which has received almost no coverage in the United States, is the cottage industry of t-shirts for IDF soldiers and others.  What's wrong?  Well, for example, one t-shirt depicts a soldier next to a woman with bruises with the caption, 'Bet you got raped!'  Citing more examples is meaningless; check out the article and see for yourself.

There is no justification for this.  Whether you believe the Gaza action or any other Israeli action was justified or not, no army in the world should be printing these kinds of shirts.  Clearly, the creation of these t-shirts is more than an innocuous 'boys will be boys' kind of fraternity prank.  There is something more sinister--a complete dehumanization of Palestinians.  

We should know from long, sordid, experience of human inhumanity that once your opponent becomes dehumanized, it is a long climb back to civilization.