Would “Gandhi…have become an asterisk of history rather than an icon”?
Peter Worthington wrote a great piece in the Toronto Sun last week titled, “War cannot be waged ‘peacefully’”.
Excerpts:
“Want to know why we (meaning the West) won’t win the war on terror?…
The other day, after a rocket attack, Israel announced it was attacking the home of a suspected terrorist leader where explosives were stored. It gave the occupants 30 minutes warning to evacuate before war planes obliterated the house.
So what did the residents do? Well, not only did they not evacuate, but neighbours formed a human shield at the targeted house and, guess what?
The Israel war planes were called off. So now, every time the Israelis give the 30-minute warning which, apparently, is policy, the “human shields” of women and children head for the targeted house, secure in the knowledge that the Israelis won’t attack.
This is madness — no way to fight a war, or terrorists. And this is Israel — the toughest democracy on the block. And yet Israel hasn’t even gotten its kidnapped soldiers back from Hamas and Hezbollah, which provoked Israeli retaliation.
…War cannot easily be waged peacefully. Restraints often mean prolonging the war and increasing its casualties.
…Today, humane considerations are paramount. The symbol of peaceful protest is Mahatma Gandhi, the creator of passive resistance that anti-military activists like to cite as a way to thwart authority. Often overlooked, is that Gandhi’s formula worked against the British. If he and his followers had lain down in front of Cossacks, the Wehrmacht or the Golden Horde of Genghis Khan, Gandhi would have become an asterisk of history rather than an icon.
…Remember the U.S. bombing of Baghdad prior to the 2003 invasion? Peace activists from the West pompously announced they’d be human shields around prospective targets.
Once the bombing started, these people fled — outraged that the Americans could be so inhumane, even though none were targeted.
…As for Israel, if its government is nuts enough to give warnings of attacks, then it deserves what happens. The next warning should be that if human shields remain, they will quickly become ex-human shields.
One attack should be sufficient to persuade Palestinian human shields to take cover.
It’s idiotic to give warning of an attack. Hezbollah and Hamas don’t warn intended targets of rocket attacks and suicide bombings…”
