Ethical fault lines and empirical assumptions in Israel/Gaza
@philipncohen I don't want to engage your essay as a whole (much in it I agree) but I think you mis-define deterrence.
Deterrence, from Israel's point of view, is primarily or exclusively (I don't want to argue which) degrading military power, not hurting civilians. Hamas wants Palestinian children to be killed by Israel as it benefits them politically. Other actors Israel wants to deter (Iran, Hezbollah) also don't care if children are killed (see: Syria) but may fear political consequences.
@BenRossTransit that is the official position, literally, but I believe that when Netanyahu says Israel's enemies will pay an "unimaginable price" that will "echo for generations" he means: your children will die - and everyone knows it. https://www.gov.il/en/departments/news/event-statement031123
@philipncohen Netanyahu would also be the first to tell you that Hamas couldn't care less whether Palestinian children die, so either that's not what he meant or (more likely) he was engaging in bluster rather than strategy.
@BenRossTransit
But if we take the view that Bibi does not mean that the trauma of loss will echo (if the death of their own children don't matter then no other death will) "for generations", it becomes _really_ hard to escape the demographic reading...
And although Bibi probably doesn't have a long time strategy (anymore), killing 8000 children is not simply "bluster"
@philipncohen
