[Reader-list] Hamas Kills Its Own

[Yazad Jal]

> I've been quietly reading and learning from this list, but this post
> calls for a riposte.
>
> If Podhoretz's argument holds any water, then it applies to Israel as
well.

Podhoretz is trying to say that whatever currently applies to Israel should
apply to the Palestinians / Hamas as well.

Here are some views expressed on another email list:

The only civilians killed by Israel are those killed in the course of
pursuing a military target, as opposed to Hamas's *deliberate* targeting of
civilians.  It's the difference between, say, blowing up a room full of
children for its own sake, versus blowing up a known command center which is
using human shields.

Why view Israel differently than one views Hamas? I think that's part of the
reason for the double standard. Israel is a "state," Hamas are "freedom
fighters". It's not OK for a state to target terrorists and get civilians in
the "collateral damage" but it's OK for terrorists to target civilians in
order to get to the state. But in the end a dead individual is a dead
individual. If we view Israel as a collective, should we not view Hamas as a
collective? If not, why not?

-yazad