|
Trending Topics
|
Source: https://x.com/SpencerGuard/status/1953104310356906487
Democracies Must Explain to Their Populations that War Is Sometimes Morally Required
(X) Maj.-Gen. Yoav Gallant and Maj. (ret.) John Spencer - Few militaries are more studied by Western generals and defense officials than the Israel Defense Forces. These officials routinely seek Israeli briefings, request access to doctrine and tactics, and pursue cooperation on training and technology, even as their political counterparts issue statements of moral outrage and condemnation. This contradiction reveals a deep divide between political perception and military reality, between external messaging and internal understanding, between illusion and experience. Since the war in Gaza began, Israel has hosted dozens of foreign delegations, with military officers and defense officials observing Israeli operations firsthand. They ask technical questions about targeting processes, coordination between air and ground forces, real-time intelligence integration, and how combat units distinguish between civilians and combatants under fire. In Gaza, Hamas operates from hospitals, schools, and mosques by design. Early in the war, the IDF learned that if you want to find a tunnel, look beneath a school. If you are searching for an enemy headquarters, start under a mosque. If you suspect an arms depot, check the basement of a hospital. Hamas's strategy was built to paralyze democracies, provoke condemnation, and weaponize civilian suffering. Most past conflicts in the region (Iraq and Syria) did not involve an adversary intentionally preventing civilians from leaving combat zones. Most did not involve hundreds of hostages dispersed across a dense urban battlefield. Most involved insurgencies, not foreign-backed terror armies. Many involved military forces that did not follow the same standards of precision and accountability expected of Israel. Failing to account for these differences leads to flawed analysis and unrealistic policy prescriptions. Democracies must regain strategic clarity. They must explain to their populations that war, when necessary, is not only legal but at times morally required. Silence will not deter enemies. Illusion will not protect civilians. And condemnation, without context or consistency, will not produce peace. Military professionals understand this. Political leaders must do the same. Yoav Gallant is a former Israeli Minister of Defense. John Spencer is chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point.