In Defense of Logic

In a world where information is at our fingertips, it has never been easier to manipulate perception and shape public opinion. The power of propaganda has evolved into a weapon that dehumanizes entire groups of people, making the unimaginable—violence, oppression, and mass suffering—seem justifiable, even necessary.

Slowly, we become numb to the horrors we once would have condemned.

As the lines between truth and narrative blur, we witness the alarming ease with which society desensitizes itself to the suffering of others, rationalizing cruelty to maintain comfort and ease troubled consciences. In this climate, the real danger lies not only in the atrocities committed but in the quiet apathy that allows them to continue.

Defending a race of people under bombardment, especially when civilians—women, children, and the elderly—bear the brunt of the suffering, is a matter of fundamental human rights and justice. Collective punishment, where an entire population is punished for the actions of a few, violates international law and the principles of moral justice.

### 1. The Principle of Proportionality

International humanitarian law, as defined in the Geneva Conventions, explicitly prohibits collective punishment and requires that military actions be proportional. Article 51 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions outlines the need to distinguish between combatants and non-combatants. When military operations fail to distinguish between civilians and those directly engaged in hostilities, it constitutes a war crime. Civilians, especially vulnerable groups like women and children, should not be forced to suffer the consequences of actions they neither control nor endorse.

> "Indiscriminate attacks are prohibited. Indiscriminate attacks are those which are not directed at a specific military objective or those which cannot be limited as required by international humanitarian law and are therefore of a nature to strike military objectives and civilians or civilian objects without distinction." — International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

This principle underscores that it is both morally and legally unacceptable to target or indiscriminately harm civilians during military operations.

### 2. The Innocence of Women and Children Punishing civilians, particularly women and children, for the actions of others goes against the notion of justice. The Bible even addresses this moral concept, stating in Ezekiel 18:20: > "The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son."

This principle holds that individuals must be judged based on their own actions, not the actions of their relatives or community members. To make women and children pay for the perceived or actual sins of their fathers is both ethically and spiritually wrong.

### 3. The Ripple Effect of Violence Bombing civilians creates long-lasting trauma, perpetuating cycles of violence and resentment. Instead of achieving peace, such actions often radicalize future generations and create deeper divisions. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu argued that "there is no future without forgiveness." Inflicting violence upon innocent populations only sows the seeds for future conflict, rather than fostering the environment needed for true reconciliation and justice.

### 4. International Precedent The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted by the United Nations in 1948, asserts that all people have the right to life, liberty, and security (Article 3). When states or armed groups violate these basic rights by targeting non-combatants, they undermine international law and the norms that have been painstakingly developed to protect human dignity.

> "No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile." — Article 9, UDHR Arbitrarily bombing a population, especially those who have not committed any crimes, falls squarely within the realm of unjust and arbitrary punishment.

### 5. Humanitarian Impact The destruction of civilian infrastructure—homes, schools, hospitals—not only inflicts immediate suffering but also cripples future generations. When women and children are subjected to violence and displacement, they lose access to education, healthcare, and basic human dignity, setting back the entire society for decades.

The ethical and legal obligations are clear: indiscriminate violence against a civilian population is never justified. While justice may need to be served for crimes committed, it must be done through fair trials, not through collective punishment that only serves to deepen the suffering of the innocent.