My citizens or yours: reflections on "collateral damage"

19 Oct 2009

The Goldstone report has generated quite a splash, to say the least, in a lot of different arenas. Between Israel condemning it, and the most recent developments within the UN, it’s an ongoing issue. And it’s made me think about another important issue – the idea of collateral damage.

So when you’re facing an enemy like Hamas who has no problem using civilians as shields, you’re faced with a difficult moral decision.

Oh wait. That’s right. You’re not actually. At all.

If your enemy is using a civilian as a human shield, you don’t shoot. Period.

I recognize a nation’s right to sovereignty. A nation’s right to defend its own citizens. I don’t think it’s ideal, but I recognize that for the moment, in this world, the most efficient and fair way of organizing things is by separate nations with often-competing interests.

But being a member or leader of a nation doesn’t mean that other citizens are second class. You don’t get to kill other civilians in defense of your own. No matter how you dodge, you’re stating that you value your own citizens more highly as humans than others’. And that’s fundamentally wrong and inhumane.

And the same is true of those using their own citizens or fellow countrymen as shields. It’s inhumane, disrespectful, and ultimately counterproductive.

I will, without reservation, continue to condemn anyone who endangers civilians, whether they’re on the defense or the offense. It’s simply inexcusable.