There are two very big wars and several little ones taking place in our world today. Everyone hears about the conflicts in Israel against Hamas and in Ukraine against Russia, but there are also wars in Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Libya, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, and Syria, among many others.
I have friends who are advocating for one side or the other in several of these fights, but what I don’t hear about is anyone advocating for peace. I’ve recently read articles suggesting that anyone seeking a ceasefire in Israel doesn’t understand that country’s right to self-protection and retribution. Amnesty International is calling for a ceasefire to stop the harm to civilians in Palestine. The UN has called for a sustained humanitarian truce.
There are some countries, including the United States, who oppose a cease-fire. Their thinking is that Israel must be allowed to fight back and eliminate Hamas once and for all. But the cost in civilian lives is high — too high, in my opinion. As of this writing, over 10,000 Palestinians have died.
I want peace in our world. I am not, however, a pacifist. Like Dietrich Bonhoeffer during World War II, I believe that there is some evil in the world that must be rooted out by force. The question that I wrestle with is, “how much force?”
Theologians have struggled with the same question, and have developed a Just War Theory that provides answers, even if incomplete ones. As Sari Bashi, the program director at Human Rights Watch, wrote, “War crimes by one party don’t justify war crimes by the other.” She noted that under the laws of war, “the fact that Hamas-led fighters targeted civilians doesn’t allow the Israeli military to target civilians or flout its obligations to protect them.”
The Just War principles include: having a just cause (such as being attacked); protecting civilians; and using proportional force against the enemy, among others. The cause for this war against Hamas is certainly just. The attack by Hamas was deplorable and inhumane. But now Israel must be careful to make sure that they operate within ethical guidelines.
Our world cannot afford to move back on the evolutionary ladder to a barbaric system of “might makes right.” We need instead to ensure that international laws are followed, and to recognize that there are guiltless humans on both sides, just trying to live their lives. A response that harms civilians just leads to more grievances and more hatred. I don’t have clear answers to all the complex disputes that we are facing, but I know that we should be working for a solution that allows for people to live together in peace. That’s where we are. So we pray.
