Warfare is a far cry from the heroic, macho face it is given by Hollywood. It’s broken bones, bodies eviscerated in horrible ways and, to put it bluntly, a bloody mess.
People die; weapons of war have no conscience. The result is heartrending. Men and women, young and old, are killed, even babes in arms.
That is starkly evident in the Israeli incursion into Gaza, in response to Hamas firing rockets indiscriminately into Israel.
The Israeli aim is to defuse Hamas’ ability to perpetuate the rocket attacks. Tunnels and launching sites have been destroyed — so too have been building of many roles in densely populated areas.
World opinion, no doubt, has been affected by attacks that hit a school and hospital in Gaza City.
It should be everyone’s fervent hope that a cease fire soon settles the issue — at least for the time being.
Chances are that will occur, but there is grave doubt whether a cease fire will last long and whether it settles the greater issue of finding a way to keep hostilities from erupting again.
Both sides, it would seem, must approach whatever resolution occurs with sincerity enough to prevent it from unraveling, which has happened in the past and with little provocation.
It is easy to rail about the deaths of innocents in the latest confrontation brought into homes throughout the world in real time by 24-hour news channels. The Palestinians may have advantage from that perspective because Hamas rocket attacks were sporadic and often did little damage.
However, until there is a guaranteed cessation of rocket attacks, and the predictable Israeli response, peace of any duration won’t come about.
Herbert Hoover had his problems with the economy in the late 1920s, but he got it right on war: “Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die.”
In not small parcel that’s what makes the latest outbreak in the Middle East so tragic.
— Bob Johnson
Tragedy of war evident in Gaza
