The Danger of Calling a War Crime on the Wrong Party: It Fuels Terror
In On Democracies and Death Cults, Douglas Murray warns that the West is being undone not by external enemies, but by a moral confusion from within—one that fails to distinguish between free societies defending themselves and authoritarian regimes that glorify destruction. Nowhere is this confusion more apparent than in the reckless accusations that Israel is committing “war crimes” in Gaza.
Let’s be clear: war crimes are defined under international law as grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions—deliberate attacks on civilians, targeting hospitals or humanitarian aid, and disproportionate use of force. But these standards are often weaponized politically, and they’re being selectively applied against Israel in ways they never have been against other democracies defending themselves.
Why Israel’s War Is Not a Crime
Israel’s war in Gaza began after the most brutal mass terror attack against Jews since the Holocaust. On October 7, 2023, Hamas invaded southern Israel, slaughtered 1,200 civilians—many through rape, fire, and beheading—and took over 250 hostages. No sovereign nation could, or should, fail to respond.
But unlike most countries at war, Israel has:
- Dropped leaflets, made phone calls, and sent text messages warning civilians to evacuate.
- Allowed humanitarian aid into a war zone—something no other nation, including the U.S. or U.K., has ever done while actively fighting.
- Paused military operations repeatedly for ceasefires and humanitarian corridors.
Even retired U.S. generals have said Israel has gone beyond what’s required under the Law of Armed Conflict. What other country in modern history has done as much to minimize civilian harm while fighting an enemy embedded in hospitals, schools, and apartment buildings?
The Triple Standard
No one called the U.S. war in Afghanistan a war crime when wedding parties were mistakenly bombed, or when thousands of civilians died in Fallujah and Mosul. No one accused Britain of war crimes for bombing ISIS in Syria. No outcry followed Egypt’s long blockade of Gaza or Jordan’s crackdown on Palestinians during Black September.
But Israel? It’s the only country expected to feed its enemies, fight a terror army using civilians as shields, and still be judged as if it’s the aggressor.
Who’s Really Blocking the Aid?
Despite headlines blaming Israel for starvation in Gaza, Israel has facilitated tens of thousands of aid trucks through multiple crossings. It is Hamas and complicit U.N. agencies that often block, hoard, or divert that aid. In some cases, Hamas has even stolen and sold the food, profiting while their own people starve.
The U.N. itself admitted it suspended food aid in parts of Gaza due to “safety concerns and looting.” Egypt has kept the Rafah crossing closed. Qatar and Iran continue to fund the terror machine. And yet, the blame still falls on the one country that has done the most to uphold humanitarian principles under fire.
What You Can Do Instead of Blaming Israel
Blaming Israel may feel righteous, but it solves nothing. If you truly care about Palestinian lives, here’s what you can do:
- Demand Hamas release the hostages—a key condition to end the war.
- Pressure Egypt to open the Rafah crossing for aid and safe passage.
- Call on the U.N. to reform its corrupt aid distribution process.
- Urge Western governments to sanction Qatar and Iran for bankrolling terrorism.
- Support aid groups—but also demand they report theft and obstruction, not just blame Israel.
This Is Not a War Crime—It’s a Tragic War Israel Did Not Choose
It’s time to stop moral grandstanding and start applying facts evenly. War is always horrific, but not all wars are illegal or immoral. Israel is fighting a genocidal enemy, embedded in a civilian population, while upholding higher standards than any other military in the world.
Calling Israel’s war “criminal” doesn’t make it so. It just makes it harder for democracies to defend themselves against terror. And that’s a crime in itself.
