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Last update - 00:00 13/06/2006
The blood on our hands II
By Bradley Burston




To all those who wrote in anger in response to the last piece in this space, another word:
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My point was not to assert that it was an IDF shell that killed the Ghalia family, and certainly not that there is a policy of targeting civilians. Regular readers of this column will note that I believe that the Israel military makes extraordinary efforts to avoid civilian deaths, efforts which have only intensified in recent years.

My point was not to implicate the IDF in the death of Muhammad Dura.

There is every possibility that Palestinians killed the Ghalia family and Muhammad Dura both.

My point was simply this:

We are not always in the right.

There is blood on everyone's hands in this conflict, and that is not only the fault of our enemies. That is what war does. Just as war makes victims of everyone who lives here, it also makes all of us, villains.

And just as Israel should not be in all cases presumed and pre-judged guilty by the Palestinians and the world, we should not automatically and from the get-go exonerate ourselves of all guilt, in all situations, whether we actually know what happened or not.

Too many of us are in such a headlong rush to absolve ourselves of all guilt in any and all incidents, that we have lost all compassion for innocents among the Palestinians, for their genuine tragedies.

Too many of us set off in an instantaneous, furiously instinctive torches-and-pitchforks midnight mob to hunt down and kill the monster - the media, the left, the UN, anti-Semites, self-hating Jews, Haaretz - that makes us look bad in the eyes of the world.

Too many of us rely on the mantra There Is No Cycle Of Violence, Only Palestinian Terror And Our Response In Pure Self-Defense. It allows us to blind ourselves to the part we, ourselves, play in the violence.

Too many of us have succeeded in using the mantra There Is No Moral Equivalency as a screen to keep ourselves from seeing where we actually do go wrong, where we exceed the bounds of the reasonable and the just.

We are not responsible for the terrorism of the Palestinians, their ideological killings of innocents, their culture of death.

But we are responsible for everything we do. We, not the Palestinians who, we tell ourselves, Force Us to Do These Things, are at fault for the ways in which we betray our own moral compass.

War is, by definition, obscene. The basic war crime is war itself. But we cannot afford to take the easy, the attractive way out, by blaming the other side for everything that happens.

The cost is our moral compass itself.




____________________________


Previous blogs:


The blood on our hands
When Arabs kill Arabs, when Arabs divide the land
Marrano Zionism, Black Eyed Peas, and Shahar Peer
Why the Occupation will never end
PROMOTION: Mamilla Hotel
Bookmark to del.icio.us  
 
Abbas reacts
ANALYSIS / As Shalit deal nears, Palestinian leader ups demands on Israel
Putin on Lieberman
Russia PM lauds expat Lieberman's 'brilliant political career' in Israel
  1.   We are not always in the right 10:10  |  Margie 13/06/06
  2.   MYOPIC and ATAVISTIC 10:15  |  Arn 13/06/06
  3.   PALLYWOOD RULES - right when proven wrong! 10:28  |  Pamela Levene 13/06/06
  4.   The Point Is That You`re Accusing Before The Facts Are Known 10:35  |  Yishai Kohen 13/06/06
  5.   Burston Needs To Appologize To IDF and Israel 10:35  |  M. Duvduvani 13/06/06
  6.   Don`t lose yourself, please! 10:37  |  Edith 13/06/06
  7.   Bradley, stop the b-s and just apologize 10:46  |  Ethan 13/06/06
  8.   blaming the other side for everything that happens. 10:49  |  JOHANES Franzen 13/06/06
  9.   Bradley Burston 10:52  |  Tony Price 13/06/06
  10.   Moral compass 10:53  |  sk 13/06/06
  11.   Blood 11:08  |  Daniel 13/06/06
  12.   Incitement to Murder 11:10  |  The Goy 13/06/06
  13.   Wow! 11:21  |  christoph 13/06/06
  14.   Seems to me no-one read it through to the end 11:32  |  sh 13/06/06
  15.   Bradley Burston II 11:35  |  Lisa 13/06/06
  16.   Israel`s rap sheet 11:40  |  David Howard 13/06/06
  17.   How it can be prevented 11:44  |  Margie 13/06/06
  18.   Bradley, I feel sorry for you 11:46  |  Dror 13/06/06
  19.   To Mr. Burston 11:47  |  TonyL 13/06/06
  20.   You should have written this yesterday, surprise inside 11:49  |  Judith 13/06/06
  21.   You are absolved 12:05  |  Ronnie Wolman 13/06/06
  22.   Where Were the Jewish Celebrations? 12:15  |  Ben Israel 13/06/06
  23.   A thought 12:28  |  Neil 13/06/06
  24.   article for Margie 12:37  |  Josh Goldman 13/06/06
  25.   Wollman, he is not absolved 12:46  |  Dror 13/06/06
  26.   Bradley Burston 12:49  |  Mireille 13/06/06
  27.   Bradley Burston 12:55  |  Solomon 13/06/06
  28.   Get real! 13:04  |  Sidney 13/06/06
  29.   #8 Seems like... 13:07  |  Josef 13/06/06
  30.   Sidney, USA 13:20  |  Sami 13/06/06
  31.   BB, you didn`t accuse IDF? 13:22  |  Nik 13/06/06
  32.   #30 Sami 13:31  |  Sidney 13/06/06
  33.   Dror: Its not that you think Im a Catholic 13:38  |  Ronnie Wolman 13/06/06
  34.   What is the context? 13:40  |  Ilan 13/06/06
  35.   wollman i take offence to your taking offence 13:47  |  Dror 13/06/06
  36.   #15, Lisa 13:51  |  Tony Price 13/06/06
  37.   Where were the Jewish celebrations? 14:03  |  George 13/06/06
  38.   Again .. Dear Mr Bradey 14:18  |  SA 13/06/06
  39.   Israel, a nation of psychotics? 14:25  |  Majida 13/06/06
  40.   Drrrrror I am not going to argue that point 14:26  |  Ronnie Wolman 13/06/06
  41.   Woolman, reconciliation? 14:32  |  Dror 13/06/06
  42.   To Bradley Burston. I SAY THIS TO YOU BRADLEY,,,,,,,,, 14:35  |  S 13/06/06
  43.   Dror: Old Chap its a deal! 14:43  |  Ronnie Wolman 13/06/06
  44.   Sabra and Sjatila forgotten 14:47  |  Oetis 13/06/06
  45.   So what do we do 14:57  |  Gary 13/06/06
  46.   Tony Price 15:00  |  SA 13/06/06
  47.   Majida - Just out of interest .. 15:05  |  SA 13/06/06
  48.   Sabra and Shatila 15:07  |  Dennis M. Starkman 13/06/06
  49.   Simply put, Bradley... 15:08  |  Yaakov Sullivan 13/06/06
  50.   # 42 Bradley Burston 15:09  |  Shelley 13/06/06
  51.   Oetis 15:13  |  SA 13/06/06
  52.   Bradley Burston 15:17  |  Morris S 13/06/06
  53.   hard to know 15:22  |  Sad Palestinian 13/06/06
  54.   The blood on our hands I & II 15:23  |  M& S 13/06/06
  55.   blame yes if warranted 15:35  |  ralph 13/06/06
  56.   Bradley Burston 15:40  |  Gaby 13/06/06
  57.   Out Out Damn Spot 15:47  |  Jacob Blues 13/06/06
  58.   This may be true, but only those having a moral compass 15:50  |  bruce 13/06/06
  59.   You do simple well, Yaacov 15:51  |  Jacob Blues 13/06/06
  60.   Blood and guilt 15:58  |  Edith 13/06/06
  61.   Sabra and Sjatila; #48 16:02  |  Oetis 13/06/06
  62.   #9 the finger at israel price that is the problem !! 16:04  |  paul harris 13/06/06
  63.   Yes, Bradley, HAARETZ STAFF HAS BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS 16:06  |  Boris 13/06/06
  64.   Yaakov 16:07  |  Ronnie Wolman 13/06/06
  65.   WE know better 16:08  |  Cavler Crociatus 13/06/06
  66.   Sabra and Sjatila; #51 16:11  |  Oetis 13/06/06
  67.   # 54 The blood on our hands 16:15  |  Marcelle 13/06/06
  68.   A la guerre comme a la guerre 16:15  |  Mike Savage 13/06/06
  69.   Sh #14 unfortunately Bradley message 2 has been wasted on many 16:22  |  nina 13/06/06
  70.   Burston You Can Stop Tearing Your Clothes Now 16:32  |  Jane 13/06/06
  71.   Brad backtracks in face of evidence 16:35  |  pace306 13/06/06
  72.   Blood on our hands II 16:36  |  Ephraim Ben-Zeev 13/06/06
  73.   Neil- a thought- 16:41  |  sptz 13/06/06
  74.   Yshai: You`re Accusing Before The Facts Are Know 16:49  |  wibism 13/06/06
  75.   Ronnie Off The Wall Man #33 16:52  |  Gabe1 13/06/06
  76.   Still very simple Mr Blues #59 16:54  |  Yaakov Sullivan 13/06/06
  77.   Ben Israel: Where Were the Jewish Celebrations? 16:55  |  wibism 13/06/06
  78.   Gee Nina, if only there were good and decent people 17:00  |  Jacob Blues 13/06/06
  79.   Gary in Rose Valley 17:01  |  wibism 13/06/06
  80.   The blood on our hands I & II 17:03  |  Moyshe 13/06/06
  81.   Israeli violence 17:04  |  wibism 13/06/06
  82.   The Difference Between Right And Wrong 17:07  |  Bernard Lewis 13/06/06
  83.   Sabra, Shatilla and race 17:12  |  Dennis M. Starkman 13/06/06
  84.   #63 ITS ALL SO EASY WHEN YOU ARE THE LOONY LEFT!!! 17:17  |  paul harris 13/06/06
  85.   wibism...not a single jew was happy about civilian deaths 17:17  |  SHIMON 13/06/06
  86.   Headlong rush to absolve 17:22  |  JW 13/06/06
  87.   Oetis at 66 17:24  |  Dennis M. Starkman 13/06/06
  88.   BRADLEY`S DISEASE 17:27  |  sptz 13/06/06
  89.   # 77 correction 17:28  |  wibism 13/06/06
  90.   # 77 wibism 17:33  |  Moreno 13/06/06
  91.   Wibism: Lets talk facts 17:34  |  David Israel 13/06/06
  92.   I think you`re alright, Bradley 17:41  |  Lindsey 13/06/06
  93.   Back in line 17:42  |  Pierre Frenkel 13/06/06
  94.   The worth of Wibism`s postings 17:48  |  Dennis M. Starkman 13/06/06
  95.   Shimon, go talk to the chosen ones in Hebron #85 17:50  |  Yaakov Sullivan 13/06/06
  96.   BRADLEY`S UPBRINGING - ONE WONDERS 17:50  |  MARY 13/06/06
  97.   #53 Sad Palestinean 17:51  |  Alan 13/06/06
  98.   Oetis #61 17:54  |  Gee 13/06/06
  99.   War is often just 17:56  |  Efox 13/06/06
  100.   Practice makes perfect 18:02  |  Dennis M. Starkman 13/06/06
  101.   BURSTON...you need to apologize 18:12  |  Avi 13/06/06
  102.   Ronnie- don`t fold so fast 18:13  |  peter 13/06/06
  103.   Just Wars 18:19  |  Efox 13/06/06
  104.   The role of Burston and Haaretz 18:19  |  Dennis M. Starkman 13/06/06
  105.   Bradley is mensch enough to write this 18:20  |  peter 13/06/06
  106.   Re # 36 18:24  |  Lisa 13/06/06
  107.   # 94 Mary 18:26  |  Clara 13/06/06
  108.   Intifada and Occupation 18:30  |  Dennis M. Starkman 13/06/06
  109.   Oetis, Posting 61 18:31  |  Dennis M. Starkman 13/06/06
  110.   #94 18:38  |  silver 13/06/06
  111.   The blood on YOUR hands B Burston 18:40  |  Sarah 13/06/06
  112.   #102 "superiority"? 18:42  |  silver 13/06/06
  113.   Oetis`s moral authority 18:42  |  Dennis M. Starkman 13/06/06
  114.   Peter I didnt pull back in appeasement... 18:50  |  Ronnie Wolman 13/06/06
  115.   the blood on his hands 18:56  |  Tania 13/06/06
  116.   # 70 Bradley Burston 19:11  |  Yolande 13/06/06
  117.   #112 + 113 19:29  |  silver 13/06/06
  118.   Bradley Burston`s Speedy Retreat 19:32  |  Yoram 13/06/06
  119.   # 113+114 19:39  |  silver 13/06/06
  120.   Oetis - Please try to get the point 19:57  |  SA 13/06/06
  121.   Sabra and Sjatila ; #111 20:05  |  Oetis 13/06/06
  122.   What are we? 20:11  |  Stuart Chelin 13/06/06
  123.   Burston 20:11  |  Manny 13/06/06
  124.   yaakov (part 1) if haaretz lets it through this time 20:27  |  SHIMON 13/06/06
  125.   yaakov (part 2) if haaretz lets it through this time 20:28  |  SHIMON 13/06/06
  126.   Let`s talk about POWER 20:30  |  Simcha 13/06/06
  127.   Shimon and his Hebron pals #123 20:53  |  Yaakov Sullivan 13/06/06
  128.   Bradley Burston & Haaretz 20:54  |  Lisa 13/06/06
  129.   To Bradley Burston. 20:59  |  Veter 13/06/06
  130.   moral equivalence 21:09  |  Samantha 13/06/06
  131.   Keep writing 21:21  |  Edith 13/06/06
  132.   Yaakov Sullivan #127 21:21  |  Gee 13/06/06
  133.   Burston : Guilt Ridden Weasel 21:21  |  dave 13/06/06
  134.   Keeping morals away from judgement, re: 121 21:30  |  Dennis M. Starkman 13/06/06
  135.   Sabra and Sjatila 21:37  |  Oetis 13/06/06
  136.   gee in need of an answer???? #132 21:39  |  Yaakov Sullivan 13/06/06
  137.   Samantha - Ramallah 21:44  |  SA 13/06/06
  138.   Samantha and moral equivalence 21:47  |  peter 13/06/06
  139.   Where were the celebrations 21:48  |  George 13/06/06
  140.   # 133 re Bradley 21:49  |  Izy 13/06/06
  141.   Burston writes for Sderot and expresses feelings of the 21:49  |  Absolute Sweden 13/06/06
  142.   Bradley Stop Bawling! 21:53  |  Sam The Sham 13/06/06
  143.   SA in Herzliyya -- thanks 22:02  |  Samantha 13/06/06
  144.   the blood on our hands 22:14  |  Michael 13/06/06
  145.   The nature of this forum, Mr. Oetis 22:15  |  Dennis M. Starkman 13/06/06
  146.   Oetis 22:18  |  SA 13/06/06
  147.   Yaakov Sullivan #136 22:19  |  Gee 13/06/06
  148.   gee in little letters talks of guts #147 22:39  |  Yaakov Sullivan 13/06/06
  149.   Bradley, it IS the Arabs who incite to kill Jews. 22:42  |  David 13/06/06
  150.   yaakov and his love of Hebron 22:48  |  SHIMON 13/06/06
  151.   Yaakov Sullivan #148 22:53  |  Gee 13/06/06
  152.   David in Boston 22:58  |  Samantha 13/06/06
  153.   # 129 Bradley 23:01  |  Brian 13/06/06
  154.   # 153 Bradley Burston 23:28  |  Neama 13/06/06
  155.   JUST PLAIN DUMB 23:50  |  Dr David I Gross 13/06/06
  156.   I am speechless 23:55  |  Krista 13/06/06
  157.   The blood on our hands 00:00  |  Barbie 14/06/06
  158.   # 149 Bradley 00:05  |  Ralph 14/06/06
  159.   Samantha: Jews are Indigenous to Palestine 00:33  |  David Israel 14/06/06
  160.   Starkman #83 00:51  |  Mona 14/06/06
  161.   still the essential problem remains 02:02  |  Paul Freedman 14/06/06
  162.   And the bloody FUZZ is.. 02:06  |  JPL 14/06/06
  163.   #46 SA 02:34  |  Tony Price 14/06/06
  164.   160 Mona have you checked Human Rights in Egypt? 02:49  |  Yardena 14/06/06
  165.   Don`t apologize yet Mr Burston 03:17  |  Liz 14/06/06
  166.   #159 David Israel: Israelis are the outside conquerers 03:36  |  won`t take excuses 14/06/06
  167.   Sabra & Sjatila; #146 03:43  |  Oetis 14/06/06
  168.   More on Israelis are outside conquerers (and Twain) 03:44  |  won`t take excuses 14/06/06
  169.   Yaakov Sullivan #76 03:47  |  Zody 14/06/06
  170.   Yaakov Sullivan #76 03:54  |  Zody 14/06/06
  171.   Partition 1947; #155 04:19  |  Oetis 14/06/06
  172.   #69, Nina 04:23  |  Jenna 14/06/06
  173.   #77,Where were the Jewish celebrations? 04:27  |  Jenna 14/06/06
  174.   a thought from a remarkable man 04:28  |  Jenna 14/06/06
  175.   Krista #156 04:36  |  BEN GURION 14/06/06
  176.   #166 no justification for you 05:21  |  peter 14/06/06
  177.   Why believe IDF anyway!!!! 06:41  |  Sal 14/06/06
  178.   #169 OETIS REGRETS HIS INFO IS FAULTY 06:42  |  paul harris 14/06/06
  179.   Read Oetis 06:42  |  Efox 14/06/06
  180.   #165 WOULD YOU HAVE REFUSED MILITARY SERVICE IN 1940 OETIS 06:46  |  paul harris 14/06/06
  181.   I am a strong supporter of Bradley Burston 06:52  |  Sal 14/06/06
  182.   Balance your thoughts 07:17  |  Sal 14/06/06
  183.   Bradley! Its Bogus! Muhammad Al Durah II! 07:50  |  Sam The Sham 14/06/06
  184.   There is no subject 08:18  |  Ron 14/06/06
  185.   #182 Sal 08:31  |  silver 14/06/06
  186.   #168 WHO CARES , TIME MARCHES ON !!! 09:06  |  paul harris 14/06/06
  187.   One correction 09:09  |  Colin Wright 14/06/06
  188.   A simple apology more moral and wiser than rationalization 09:30  |  Shalom Freedman 14/06/06
  189.   30 IDF SUICIDES IN 2005 09:45  |  OUT OF 76 IDF DEATHS 14/06/06
  190.   the blood on our hands 09:57  |  Guy 14/06/06
  191.   wisbim #77 -- a lesson regarding cyberspace 10:24  |  bbl 14/06/06
  192.   Tony Price 12:06  |  SA 14/06/06
  193.   Bradley, stay on course 12:10  |  Dutch 14/06/06
  194.   Surprised at some comments here 12:16  |  wkl 14/06/06
  195.   Oestis 12:24  |  SA 14/06/06
  196.   Bradley, you are such a jackass!!! 12:56  |  David 14/06/06
  197.   A War of Choice(s) 14:13  |  Wim 14/06/06
  198.   This conflict will be over when Arabs run out of oil 15:48  |  Dennis M. Starkman 14/06/06
  199.   blood on our hands 16:15  |  David Gershon 14/06/06
  200.   Anti Israel posters: Israel is more than this conflict 16:53  |  Dennis M. Starkman 14/06/06
  201.   # 199 blood on our hands 17:58  |  Sophie 14/06/06
  202.   #166 - Jews have lived inPalestine for 5000 yrears 18:43  |  David Israel 14/06/06
  203.   #166 Won`t take excuses: No excuses given, just facts 19:34  |  Dennis M. Starkman 14/06/06
  204.   Our army is full of serial war criminals and we ignore it daily 20:23  |  Yossi Cronenberg 14/06/06
  205.   FED UP WITH YOU POSTERS 21:14  |  annoyed 14/06/06
  206.   Bradley Burston & Haaretz 21:56  |  Lisa 14/06/06
  207.   Yossi Cronenburg 22:12  |  SA 14/06/06
  208.   Samantha 23:14  |  SA 14/06/06
  209.   hi 00:06  |  Lawrence 15/06/06
  210.   Shimon & his love for Hebron 05:08  |  wibism 15/06/06
  211.   Gee #151 05:19  |  wibism 15/06/06
  212.   for what it is worth 05:28  |  Jenna 15/06/06
  213.   BBL #191 05:30  |  wibism 15/06/06
  214.   The peace wibism hopes for Israel 05:57  |  Dennis M. Starkman 15/06/06
  215.   Bradley Burston 16:25  |  Sue B 15/06/06
  216.   re. Starkman on Oil 18:52  |  Efox 15/06/06
  217.   #211 Wibism - Israel moved out of Gaza but... 19:01  |  David Israel 15/06/06
  218.   Good point Bradley 19:25  |  Hanna 15/06/06
  219.   # 215 Sue B 21:18  |  Lior 15/06/06
  220.   The blood on our hands II 22:27  |  Bill 15/06/06
  221.   Bradley Burston blood on our hands 22:46  |  Marc 15/06/06
  222.   David Israel ##217 23:28  |  wibism 15/06/06
  223.   Wibism # 222 00:05  |  David Israel 16/06/06
  224.   And by the way Wibism - Israel is not sinking 00:56  |  David Israel 16/06/06
  225.   Burston is, of course, right... 01:06  |  Richard Silverstein 16/06/06
  226.   And by the way Wibism - Israel is not sinking 01:35  |  wibism 16/06/06
  227.   #221 Gaza beach killings 01:58  |  hollingsworth 16/06/06
  228.   In fact,..... 02:24  |  hollingsworth 16/06/06
  229.   Furthermore,... 02:26  |  hollingsworth 16/06/06
  230.   To Shimon 02:40  |  Seanirl 16/06/06
  231.   Wibism again: Be constructive 02:49  |  David Israel 16/06/06
  232.   To Denis M Starkman 02:54  |  Seanirl 16/06/06
  233.   #232 05:19  |  Dennis M. Starkman 16/06/06
  234.   Back to school, Bradley!! 08:27  |  Pastor Phil 16/06/06
  235.   Blood On Our Hands III 16:22  |  hollingsworth 16/06/06
  236.   We are always to Blame 18:20  |  Hugh Kessler 22/06/06
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