‘Proportionate’ Israeli Response and Shylock’s Pound of Flesh

I have written this a lot today. Ulysses S Grant said, “war is hell”. The saying has become a platitude. The reality of the statement is going to come crashing into the world. Already suffering people living in the Gaza Strip are being videotaped and released on video feeds. It will not get better for a long time. If you do not want the suffering don’t start the wars.

As usual the administration tries to speak out of both sides of its mouth. So what should the Israelis do...behead Palestinian babies? Rape Muslim women?

Well, proportionality *is* one of the fundamentals of the LOAC to which the US ascribes. So calling for a proportional response is neither surprising nor out of line.

Also note that "porportional" is NOT the same as "equivalent." Beheading babies does not require beheading babies as a proportional response.

All that being said, I am not really sure Israel fully ascribes to the LOAC. As I posted elsewhere, no one does "fuck around and find out" more hard-core than Israel. No one. I have absolutely no confidence in the theory that Israel will respond proportionally.

As LTC David Brown points out, quoting from US Grant, War is Hell. And you should never start a war you cannot win. Hamas fucked around. They are about to find out.