Tikvah
Subscribe
MosaicImage of Mosaic
Editor's Pick

May 19, 2021

The “Proportionality” of Israel’s Self-Defense

Misunderstanding the laws and ethics of war.

As usual, the outbreak of fighting between Israel and Hamas has brought forth accusations about the IDF’s use of “disproportionate” force. Most of these criticisms are rooted in a misunderstanding of the doctrine of proportionality, which does not require an army to ensure that an enemy’s losses are somehow “proportionate” to its own. Marc LiVecche explains:

Subscribe to Continue Reading

Get the best Jewish ideas and conversations. Subscribe to Tikvah Ideas All Access for $12/month

Login or Subscribe
Save

May 19, 2021

  1. Those Clamoring about U.S. Aid to Israel Seek Cover for Their Own Moral Bankruptcy

    The United States and Israel represent one possible way of being in the world, Hamas and Iran represent another. Which side do we want to be on?

  2. No, the Current Round of Fighting Doesn’t Show the Abraham Accords to Be a Failure

    Missing the point.

  3. The “Proportionality” of Israel’s Self-Defense

    Misunderstanding the laws and ethics of war.

  4. A Rabbi Explains the Jewish Way of Reading the Bible to a Protestant Scholar

    Seeing scripture as a problem to be solved.

  5. The Historian, Partisan, and War Hero Who Led Yad Vashem

    Yitzḥak Arad, of blessed memory.