How might the assertion that there is no moral equivalence in the Israeli-Hamas conflict omit to explore ethical questions about the origins of evil and just wars?

How might we better understand the preconditions that create scenarios between the lesser (or greater) of two evils?

The leadership failures of national and international politics

According to Tom Friedman, the divisive politics about judicial reform to reduce the power of the supreme court in Israel created a distraction and vulnerability in national security and impaired its government’s ability to sustain its vigilance in preventing terrorism.

Internal divisive politics disables governments from redressing external divisive politics.

Furthermore, the international community has failed to collaborate in providing the global stewardship to establish a two-state solution.

The Israeli-Hamas Civil War

On his October 12th 2023 podcast, Sam Harris gave an erudite exposition that there is no moral equivalency in the Israeli-Hamas Civil War. His authoritative argument was delivered in an adamant self-righteous tone. He provided iron-clad justification for the moral supremacy of Israel to eradicate the Jihad terrorism of Hamas.

• How might his argument justify the euphemism of “defensive actions” to amplify offensive revenge and intensify pain and suffering on the Palestinian people, in the name of justifying so-called “collateral damage”?

Sam Harris’s argument fails to zoom out to explore the unethical origins of evil. He did not touch on just-war theory nor explore the complex, historical pre-determinant conditions that set up the barbaric, Hamas terrorist attacks and the brutish, vengeful Israel war on Gaza citizens that violates International law.

• Who knows better in changing the preconditions that set up terrorism and wars?

Watch: Israel Warns Northern Gaza Residents To Evacuate Oct 13th

Israeli forces has pummeled the Hamas militants and the civil population. Gaza has endured heavy bombing with destruction of buildings and the disablement of hospitals. The death toll has risen from 1,400 to more than 10,000 people over four weeks month, with two-thirds of the fatalities being women and children.

How might we:

• Develop the ethical leadership to address our internal battle of the brain and take on the moral quest to end and prevent wars?

• Discern the ethical distinctions in making judgements between moral agents who knowingly commit and justify war crimes with their amygdala brains on the one hand, and terrorist who act out evil with their reptilian brains without any moral compass?

Two wrongs between the barbaric reptilian brain and the brutish amygdala brain do not make it morally right.

Equity governance is about co-creating fair rules, fair plays, fair games, fair opportunities, and fair rewards for the benefit of all, on a healthy planet.

How might we zoom out to co-create equity governance to:

• Prevent the inequity cycles of power abuse?

• Avoid the zero-sum blame game of futile, one-up-manship propaganda?

• Prevent the pre-conditions that set up wars between our amygdala and reptilian brains?

• Cultivate the ethics of equity governance that enables people to develop the neocortical capabilities of equanimity to ethically self-regulate our amygdala and reptilian brains?

Just-war theory

Krista Tippet hosted a “Justice and a Just War” interview podcast (November 9th 2001) with Jean Bethke Elshtain, John Paul Lederach, and Michael Orange

In the 5th century, St. Augustine wrote about the religious dilemmas of war. He influenced future theologians, ethicists, diplomats, and political leaders about the rational for the just-war theory. The responses to the key questions below provides a way to justify an ethical war.

• Do we have just cause to make war?

• Do we have the proper authority to carry it out?

• Is this violence our recourse of last resort? 

• Does it have a reasonable chance of success?

• Can we conduct a war with proportionality so that our means justify our ends?

The above questions do not address post-war responsibilities of addressing the complex, historical preconditions that sets up warring factions.

• How did the imperialism of British colonialism set up the Israel-Arab conflict?

How might we cultivate equity governance to:

• Eradicate the megalomania of imperialism, colonialism, autocracy, theocracy totalitarianism, plutocracy and fundamentalist nationalism?

• Redress the deep causes of injustice to end wars and make lasting peace?

• Imagine a harmonious horizon of peace where our grandchildren do not have to experience the ongoing, vicious cycles of violence and wars?

Learn more about equity governance

Curated resources

• How might the social media giants take fiduciary responsibilities for stopping the amplification self-righteous fundamentalism that inflames hate speech, accelerates the downward spirals into the immoral abyss, and disables any opportunities for peace-making and reconciliation?