Avi Aharon

During WWII, the US has burnt Tokyo, completely destroyed Drezden and nuked Hiroshima and Nagasaky . Did the US do the right thing?

Diana Hsieh brings a tale that took place in 2005 Afganistan, and is very similar to what Israelies are told had happened on Janualry 1948, on the way to Gush Ezion (Hebrew, English). The Israeli Convoy of 35 was sent to bring urgent supply to Gush Ezion. On their way, they met an old Arab sheppard and spared his life. It is assumed that he informed the Arab gangs who  – no assumptions here – ambushed the 35 and killed them all.

This kind of stories focus our attention on the fact that it is unpleasant to kill innocent people. It is indeed unpleasant, and wrong. However, we’re told, sparing innocent lives may cost our own lives. On top of that, there’s a decision to be made. Ugly. We’d better stop waging wars, shouldn’t we?

No, we should not.
War is good, as it keeps you alive.

The purpose of war is to get defended from evil. Someone wants to take your life, you’d better get his first. If you fail, you’re dead. Hence, your top priority at war, your ultimate ethical rule, is to kill your enemy. Everything else is secondary.

When I’m told of the Convoy of 35, I think of the purpose of their night march and the outcome of their failure (then, one may ask why did they fail at all, which brings us to an even more interesting discussion of wartime ethics – the costs of failures).

The ultimate purpose of war is to win. Discussions like the 2005 Afganistan battle I linked to above are distructions. I wonder what could be the purpose of such a distruction and who’s behind the scene.