The Lead

The Horrors of War Are Not Inevitable!

by Jason Ross (EIRNS) — Nov. 18, 2023

As the world gazes in horror at the steady march of destruction in Gaza, while an increasing number of leaders, political and otherwise, add their voices to the chorus demanding ceasefire and peace, we must remember: Human history is not inevitable.

The firebombing of Dresden was not forced upon an unwilling humanity by the ineluctable demands of history—it was a choice. The nuclear destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (not military targets) as Japan was already negotiating its surrender, was not a commandment handed down by God—it was a choice. Israel’s morally reprehensible destruction of Gaza, counterproductive even to the stated goals of the government, is not driven by some force of destiny—it is a choice.

It is never too late to stop being a fool.

In the United States, four Jewish Members of Congress—one Senator and three members of the House of Representatives—have come out demanding a change of policy, with one even calling for a Marshall Plan-style program for redeveloping the area.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz has published an editorial “Stop Israel’s Warmongering Settlers,” which explains that “IDF soldiers even actively participate in the [West Bank] pogroms.”

Cyprus calls for direct supply of humanitarian aid to Gaza by sea, knowing that such deliveries would challenge Israeli control of the Gaza Strip’s coastline.

Even the Council of Foreign Relations has had to admit reality in another domain in an article Foreign Affairs: Ukraine’s war to expel Russia cannot succeed, and a ceasefire is the only way forward.

While there is major pressure on government leaders and social media companies from arms lobbyists, AIPAC, the ADL, and various “stink” tanks, people are no longer cowed by cynical accusations of “anti-Semitism,” a term which has seemingly come to mean “anything Netanyahu doesn’t like.”

A week from Sunday, November 26, the International Peace Coalition will hold a special event for peace, including a screening of the film “8:15 Hiroshima: From Father to Daughter,” which tells the horrifying story of the nuclear incineration of the city, a gruesome act pursued not in furtherance of an end to World War II, to save the lives of Allied soldiers who would otherwise die storming Japan, but as a warning to the Soviet Union.

Don’t be swept up by the chaos, by the recriminations, by the past; take responsibility for developing in your mind a concept of a future for which to strive. It is from the future that we access justice, not in response to the past.