And, as noted, most of the time, this isnt possible.
Agreed. Most of the time. In this specific case I think the effort was probably worth a go.
So... you DO suggest that the Israelis allow sporadic mortar fire into their towns w/o response, at least if the only effective response is artilery.
Only in this
particular case. Not in general. I think it is prefferable to taking out a school, though.
Do you suppose this will result in more or fewer mortar attacks?
No.
I'm not sure this is supportable. A firefight within a functioning school with one side willing to hide behind the kids creates the very real possibility of -massive- casualties
I think it is would have been worth taking the chance, in this case. Let's say that there was a ground offensive, and then the civilian casualties were incurred, I wouldn't denounce Israel for that. I would accept that as having made a serious effort to try and minimize the casualties in this case with the school.
In general, I support the decision to have made an invasion instead of simply sending bombs over. Obviously, during this invasion, civilian casualties will occur. I think the use of ground troops is better than a simple arial assault because it
does help minimize civilian casualties.
I'm talking about this specific instance, where a school was destroyed.
Granted, the primary cause of this was Hamas. They are 110% undefendable for being within striking distance of a school while carrying out military operations. It is disgusting, cowardly, and inexcusable. The are the primary reason for the civilian casualties in this action, but Israel still bears some level of responsibility for choosing to respond to a minimal threat with maximum force.
That's why I still feel that Israel should have tried to use ground troops in this case, even though they were under direct attack. This is based on the risk assement equation on the likelihood of civilian casualties on either side.
I know it is an emotional argument because I am bothered by civilian casualties. Simply because I am saying in this particular case, more effort should have been made to prevent the destruction of the school, does not mean I am saying Hamas was correct to use this tactic or target Israeli civilians.