When people ask, “Why are we talking about the Israeli babies and not about the Palestinian babies?” the question touches on a contentious issue in the Israel-Hamas conflict. Here’s a breakdown of the key points from the transcript that address this topic directly.
Distinguishing Intentional Acts from Collateral Damage
Shabbos Kestenbaum highlights two reactions to this question. First, he emphasizes the difference between deliberate acts of violence and unintended civilian casualties.
“If you cannot distinguish the abduction of a 9-month-old baby with a gun to his head forcibly without cause and being hoarded onto a motorcycle by strangers into Gaza, and the inadvertent killing of civilians in Gaza because the government they elected have built terror/military infrastructures underneath hospitals and schools, then you are probably a Harvard Professor.”
This distinction underscores the intentional harm caused by Hamas versus collateral damage resulting from Israel targeting military objectives embedded within civilian areas.
Civilian Casualties: A Tragic Reality of War
Shabbos Kestenbaum points out that civilian casualties are an unfortunate but inevitable part of warfare.
“In the history of Modern Warfare, every single war that has ever been fought, regardless of the cause, regardless of the location, has always included civilian casualties. It is a tragedy; it is not good.”
However, he argues that if preventing civilian casualties is truly a priority, then action should be taken to condemn Hamas and demand their surrender:
“If you truly want to prevent civilian casualties, then I would urge my classmates, those in the encampments, to condemn Hamas and to urge them to not only return the hostages unconditionally but to surrender immediately.”
The Palestinian Story: A History of Unwinnable Wars
Shabbos Kestenbaum reflects on what they describe as a recurring pattern in Palestinian history.
“If you want to prevent the killing of innocent civilians, do not start wars that you have no hope of winning. That is essentially the Palestinian story in a nutshell. When they were offered their own state in 1948—there was never a state of Palestine; there was never a country of Palestine—the UN offered them one in the partition plan.”
Instead of accepting this offer, the Palestinians chose conflict:
“What did the Palestinians do? Not only did they refuse to accept their own state, but they declared war on the Jews. That has been their history for the last 75 years—starting wars they have no hope of ever winning and then acting as if they are the victims.”
Moral Accountability in Governance
Shabbos Kestenbaum concludes with a strong statement about moral accountability for actions taken by elected governments:
“I’m sorry, but a people who elect a government that kidnaps 9-month-old babies can never be victims.”
This assertion ties back to their earlier point about distinguishing between intentional harm and collateral damage.
