Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent

For decades, the phrase “Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent” has plagued my mind, and never more so than in recent weeks.

With the IDF poised on the border of Gaza and the IAF bombarding terrorist emplacements, the question of what should be done with the “innocent Gazans” has entered center stage in the world’s discussion of the conflict.

Israel is being called to exercise extreme caution and practice much leniency in its mission to secure its defense.

The narrative that there is a solid delineation between the position of Hamas and the ideals of the Palestinian people is endlessly parroted by the more moderate supporters of Palestinian liberty, many of whom are currently protesting for Palestine or against Israel around the world.

The argument will be made that the children of Gaza also suffer, and they, at least, are innocent.  This is undoubtedly true.  

But the root cause of their suffering is not Israel.  This point must be made as clear as possible to the world.

Their suffering is caused by Palestinian society’s unending campaign of terror against the Jewish State.  

Israel has tried multiple times to create some form of peace with Hamas, even going so far as to free terrorists in return for hostages.

By allowing the guilty to escape with minimal consequences, we perpetuate a culture of impunity and enable the continuation of systemic corruption and cruelty toward Israelis. 

At every turn since Hamas came to power, Israel has tried to be forgiving and open. We tried to respond in as soft a response as possible.

Hamas sent terrorists, we built a barrier but kept a border open to let Palestinians in and out. When Hamas imported goods to turn into weapons, and we created a blockade, we continued to send tons of goods and materials in by truck every day.

Hamas fired rockets, and we chose to pull back, giving them the independence to control their own nation they claimed to desire. The missiles and terror attacks continued unabated, no matter what we did.

Israel’s mercy towards the guilt of Hamas has led to the unbelievable cruelty dealt out on the unsuspecting innocents who fell victim to their predation on October 7th.

Israel can no longer afford leniency. It can no longer afford mercy. If Israel doesn’t take firm and decisive action to bring about an end to the enemies of Israel in the coming war, then it will have failed to serve its people.

I am not calling for the eradication of all Palestinians. I do not want war, slaughter, or bloodshed, but I believe that unless our soldiers go into this war with the expectation that they will have to put aside their desire to save all lives, they will end up damning more Israeli lives to the slaughter.

I pity the people of Gaza, but I hold firm to the belief that any resistance, any opposition, needs to be dealt with in a swift and deadly manner to protect the innocent.

We have allowed our mercy to harm us for too long. Israel needs to do what must be done for its safety and the safety of the hostages, and we, the people of Israel and the supporters of Israel, must understand that and give our support entirely to the IDF without apology to the international community.