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Last update - 10:12 17/03/2008 Ten Commandments for Arab and Jew at war By Bradley Burston Tags: Ten Commandments, Israel  There is no conflict in the world more complex, more closely watched, and more historically intractable than the war between Israel and its Arab neighbors, a tireless blood feud now on the threshold of its seventh decade. It helps little that each side lays claim to ultimate morality and consummate victimhood. For Palestinian Muslim and Israeli Jew both, many of the most strident calls for escalation, for war until absolute victory, for refusal to compromise, for justifying injury to civilians on the other side, in fact, for eradication, political or physical, of the other side, come from ultra-nationalist religious leaders. With radicalism at the clerical level having tainted and to some extent warped both Islam and Judaism, perhaps now is the time for the rest of us believers to put in our two cents. Herewith, a first draft: Ten Commandments for the Arab and Jew at war: 1. Thou shalt not kill the civilian Period. Never target the innocent. In all armed operations and activities, make heroic efforts to respect non-combatants. Marshal your ingenuity and skill and technical proficiency to avoid injury to children, the elderly, and all who are unarmed. If civilians on the other side are injured, investigate at once, thoroughly and impartially, and, where warranted, punish those responsible. In populated areas, stop the use of weapons whose inaccuracy and/or lethal force, including Qassams, Kartyushas, main battle tanks, heavy artillery, fighter-bombers, flechettes, and cluster bombs, place civilians in direct danger. 2. Neither shall you use civilians as human shields. Never launch attacks from populated civilian residences. Never use populated civilian residences as hideouts or firing platforms. Protect civilians on your side from attack in any way possible. If the other side uses missiles against civilian areas, use all means at your command to keep civilians from harm's way. If non-combatants are likely to become targets, find ways to shelter them, evacuate them, or ways to stop missiles before they strike. 3. Thou shalt not worship the use of force, nor mistake revenge for self-defense, nor confuse politically motivated attacks with justice, nor believe with perfect faith that military might, carried to an extreme, will resolve the conflict. Be not deluded that your political ends will be served by the instruments of war. Be not persuaded that the state you despise will bend to your will in deference to rockets, mortars, suicide bombings, roadside bombings, school shootings and drive-by shootings. Be not convinced that assassination, invasion, occupation, enforced oppression, deepened poverty, blockade, strafing, bombing, shelling, raiding, and/or besiegement, will topple the government you revile. 4. Thou shalt not practice humiliation, nor collective punishment Demonstrate respect. Remove all checkpoints except those which can be demonstrated to be absolutely necessary. Reduce friction as much as possible at remaining checkpoints. Do everything possible to allow civilians on the other side to work, pray, study, and live as normally as possible. The people on the other side are every ounce as proud and as obstinate as contrary and as immovable as you. Turn off their lights and their gas, and they will hate you in the cold and dark. You, and not the people you want them to hate. Rocket them, bomb them, gun them down, and they will do everything in their power to remain on the land you claim, give you nothing more, and see that things stay that way. 5. Thou shalt not dismiss ceasefire proposals out of hand. Nor shall you turn aside diplomatic overtures, nor order military operations to foil them. 6. Thou shalt not demolish homes. Demolition of Palestinian homes is not a tactic. It is a form of terrorism. It does not create deterrence. It fosters hatred. It incites against peace. It engenders revenge. 7. Thou shalt raze illegal outposts. Be not deceived that this contradicts the previous commandment. Be not taken in by those who view illegal outposts as the highest form of patriotism. Take it for what it is, in the following light: 8. Thou shalt act to restrain the renegades in your midst, terrorists, bigots and bullies, whose actions betray their own people. 9. Thou shalt not aim to "close an account." No military action in the Holy Land ever settled the score or closed a standing account. Military action only opens a new account. 10. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain The clergyman - rabbi, reverend or imam ? who counsels hatred for the other, who preaches that the Lord is on the side of wider and deeper war, is not a man of God. The man of the cloth who dismisses the beliefs of the other, the history of the other, the validity of the other's faith-based claim to this land, is not a man of God. The spiritual leader who forbids all compromise leads his followers to ruin. We are, in this Holy Land, Muslim, Christian, and Jew, all of us children of the same Lord, servants of the same God, every one of us the image of our one Creator. The preacher who preaches otherwise, he who worships at the altar of force and disdains the possibility of accommodation, condemns all of us to an eternity of war. God help us, every one. ______________ Previous blogs: To the Westerner who 'understands' the terrorist Nine immoral solutions for Gaza - a guide Islam will win Palestinians' doomsday weapon, non-violence, fails test This November, I'm voting christian Bookmark to del.icio.us   The gift of dignity T.A. charity provides female drug addicts with shower, meal and counseling. Sign of life Hamas leader says Gilad Shalit is still alive after two years in captivity.   1.   worse than God`s commandments 09:15  |  Trooper 14/03/08   2.   Collective Security is punishment for the Invaders 10:08  |  sam 14/03/08   3.   G_D bradley buston is a bigger idiot than me :-)))) 10:10  |  Yitzak Ben Shlomo 14/03/08   4.   Arab and Jew 10:13  |  Ralph 14/03/08   5.   #1 10:23  |  Michael 14/03/08   6.   Israel has failed to win the war that started 60 years ago 10:38  |  Velvl Shmerlson 14/03/08   7.   BRADLEY HAS GONE COMPLETELY BARMY 10:39  |  PAUL HARRIS 14/03/08   8.   Pretty Good Bradley .. 10:43  |  Natallie Durson 14/03/08   9.   True, Bradley, but Israel`s not listening. 10:44  |  Michael 14/03/08   10.   "Guilt" ratio according to Bradley: Israel - Palestine 4 - 1 11:07  |  Swiss (Dino) 14/03/08   11.   I fully agree with you, accept your proposals 100% 11:08  |  Khalid Amayreh 14/03/08   12.   How about this one 11:13  |  Marilyn 14/03/08   13.   TEN COMMANDEMENTS FROM ME 11:16  |  indrajaya 14/03/08   14.   10 commandments of Beebee 11:24  |  Larry54 14/03/08   15.   ten commandments 11:31  |  elsie 14/03/08   16.   I could not agree MORE with your faithful assessment 11:35  |  Hamzah 14/03/08   17.   #1. Trooper. In full agreement with you. 11:39  |  Avi 14/03/08   18.   You can make it complex but its really simple 11:41  |  pal 14/03/08   19.   How nice it would be if we could put all aggressions 11:43  |  Harith 14/03/08   20.   DOUBLE-STANDARD "commandments" 11:45  |  observer 14/03/08   21.   Problem Is Bradley That... 12:08  |  Yosemite 14/03/08   22.   Bunch of arse 12:20  |  Nik Miller 14/03/08   23.   observer of Zurich 12:42  |  Garry 14/03/08   24.   #Ralph, why don`t YOU tell us your version.? 12:44  |  Ari 14/03/08   25.   My Ten Commandments 12:46  |  Tzfonit 14/03/08   26.   #4 We would like too that what we are asking. 12:49  |  Husseini 14/03/08   27.   #11. Very Good .Marilyn 12:54  |  Imran 14/03/08   28.   Naive 13:14  |  Panther Jet 14/03/08   29.   12Indrajaya,not 242 but 181,which is the only legally authorised 13:18  |  lakshmi 14/03/08   30.   Palestinians are accepting those commandments 13:30  |  Palestinian 14/03/08   31.   10 Khalid Amayreh,I am a regular reader of your articles and I 13:37  |  lakshmi 14/03/08   32.   The Ten commandments by B Burston 13:55  |  Al Effendi 14/03/08   33.   to Lakshmi 13:58  |  Khalid Amayreh 14/03/08   34.   Here`s an eleventh commandment 14:04  |  x-ray 14/03/08   35.   # 28, LAKSHMI 14:05  |  indrajaya 14/03/08   36.   Palestinian if God`s in charge you need no `international 14:05  |  x-ray 14/03/08   37.   THOU SHALT REMOVE THE HEATHEN FROM ERETZ YISRAEL ?? 14:06  |  Bill 14/03/08   38.   Michael acknowledging that pals use human shields 14:06  |  Iz Ray Leigh 14/03/08   39.   #24 Tzfonit 14:14  |  Panther Jet 14/03/08   40.   THIS ONE IS UNACCEPTABLE BURSTON 14:16  |  indrajaya 14/03/08   41.   yet another brilliant article! 14:27  |  ScotGuy 14/03/08   42.   Dhimmi Burston ,I`d advice you to read about Wingate 14:39  |  Absolute Sweden 14/03/08   43.   To Khalid re: resistance 14:41  |  Aphemia 14/03/08   44.   Well aren`t you naive 15:00  |  Andrew 14/03/08   45.   Well aren`t you naive 15:03  |  Andrew 14/03/08   46.   Khalid ...on resistence..... 15:06  |  Lynn 14/03/08   47.   #7 Natalie Durson 15:24  |  PlanoStu 14/03/08   48.   Mr. Bradley Burston is no fun at all 15:25  |  Mark Lincoln 14/03/08   49.   You`re both old Testament 15:32  |  Ben 14/03/08   50.   Hello Bradley, this is Real World Morality calling 15:33  |  Tosefta 14/03/08   51.   My true comandments 15:35  |  Indrajayah 14/03/08   52.   12 - indrajaya 15:39  |  PlanoStu 14/03/08   53.   How should Haaretz deal with Slowman? 15:46  |  Bursting Bradley 14/03/08   54.   to Garry 15:49  |  observer 14/03/08   55.   What if one party violates 15:54  |  Gerald Deutsch 14/03/08   56.   There is no god. 15:56  |  Michael Steiner 14/03/08   57.   Haaretz is a tool of the jihad 16:00  |  Pamela, Atlas Shrugs 14/03/08   58.   to Tzfonit 16:00  |  Dik 14/03/08   59.   Hello Bradley, this is Real World Morality calling 16:25  |  Tosefta 14/03/08   60.   Be careful what you wish for...lakshmi 16:29  |  Elihu 14/03/08   61.   TO 30, 32, 33 lakshmi, Sweden, Amayreh 16:35  |  us 14/03/08   62.   It`s funny how the holier than thou crowd is so ready to have the 16:46  |  Jacob Blues 14/03/08   63.   Gee Marylin, I guess that means cataract surgery 16:48  |  Jacob Blues 14/03/08   64.   32 Khalid&34 Ahamia,Khalid greetings,I am in agreement with you 16:50  |  lakshmi 14/03/08   65.   What do you know of honesty, justice, and goodwill, Khalid? 16:51  |  Jacob Blues 14/03/08   66.   more on Jewish presence and origins in Mid East 17:11  |  observer 14/03/08   67.   Isreal is accepting those commandments 17:14  |  Adrian de Klerk 14/03/08   68.   #30 lakshmi - the answer is "0" 17:15  |  Adrian de Klerk 14/03/08   69.   ten commandants 17:29  |  Carol 14/03/08   70.