Many Eyes for An Eye?

There has been massive pushback against the Israelis in the wake of the October 7 massacre by Hamas. At first, Joe Biden literally embraced Netanyahu in a show of support. Then, as the invasion proceeded and Palestinian casualties increased to enormous levels, the brutality of the Hamas attack receded from the consciousness of even those who were formerly supporters of Israel. There were calls for humanitarian pauses for which there was a mixed response. Hospitals being suspected as providing cover for massive Hamas control centers (some even functioning as holding cells for hostages) have been bombed with the outcry against Israel only increasing. But looking at the situation from a purely military perspective, what are the Israelis to do? Hamas leaders have proclaimed that Netanyahu's call for retribution is just what they wanted. Would Israel have fared better if they had massed troops on the border indefinitely? Should they have confined their actions to only guerrilla strikes at targets in which there were little or no civilians (an almost impossible strategy). The Israeli policy is "an eye for an eye" or "many eyes for an eye," but what if they had turned the other cheek? Would the world have applauded? Would Hamas have been stopped in their tracks or would they have used the opening to fill their hive with Iranian killer bees?

read the review of Francis Levy's The Kafka Studies Department in Booklife

and listen to "Only the Strong Survive" by Jerry Butler