We are all Israelis now... The fight for the West has begun

John Kempler I 26 October 2024 I Spectator Australia

As conflicts unfold across the Middle East, two narratives about Israel dominate. On the one hand, there are accusations of disproportionate responses and international-law violations. On the other, there is a view that Israel is not just defending itself, but also securing the safety of the Western world. Both are true to some degree, but there’s a more pressing reality: Israel’s fight is a defence not only of its own sovereignty but of the Western values it shares and upholds.

Critics like Foreign Minister Penny Wong claim Israel’s actions in Gaza breach international law and violate the principles of a just war. The narrative focuses on civilian casualties and the moral cost of urban warfare. The Albanese government’s pivot from Australia’s traditional support for Israel exemplifies a broader trend in which Western nations express a detached neutrality, often questioning Israel’s right to defend itself as fiercely as it does. The refrain from these critics is clear: wars, even those against terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, must adhere strictly to the rules of engagement.

But to dismiss Israel’s defensive efforts as a mere breach of international law is to ignore the precarious existential threat it faces daily. Israel’s conflict is not just a localised struggle – it is the tip of the spear against a global menace: the theocratic, terror-driven ambitions of Iran and its proxies. It’s a stand not just against Hamas and Hezbollah, but against a broader alliance of anti-Western forces, including Iran, Russia, and China, that want to dismantle the liberal international order.

The sheer complexity of modern urban warfare makes it nearly impossible for Israel – or any other Western military, for that matter – to avoid civilian casualties when the enemy is intentionally using civilians as shields. Military experts and analysts familiar with the realities of warfare, like Mike Kelly and the late Major General Jim Molan, have argued that Israel has acted within the rules of armed conflict despite facing existential threats.

Kelly, a former Australian army lawyer and expert in the laws of war, has asserted that Israel’s actions meet legal and ethical standards. He has highlighted the extraordinary challenges of urban warfare, where groups like Hamas and Hezbollah embed themselves among civilians, maximising civilian casualties to manipulate global perceptions. Israel’s military has taken significant measures to minimise harm to civilians, despite the formidable force of up to 50,000 armed fighters in Gaza. Similarly, Molan concluded that Israel’s actions during its 2014 Gaza campaign were lawful, demonstrating restraint in the face of war crimes committed by its adversaries.

Support for Israel’s actions is echoed by voices from the US military. John Spencer, a scholar of urban warfare at West Point, praised Israel’s efforts to protect civilians as exceptional, greatly exceeding standard military practices. Likewise, Colonel Richard Kemp, the former Commander of British forces in Afghanistan and a veteran of the Gulf War, has consistently defended the conduct of Israel’s defence forces. Investigations led by Australian defence officials, including Mark Binskin, concluded that Israel’s procedures for addressing civilian casualties were timely, appropriate and aligned with Western military standards. These viewpoints stand in stark contrast to the anti-Israel rhetoric from some Western media and political leaders, who often depict Israel as the aggressor.

Critics who place the moral blame on Israel overlook a crucial fact: groups like Hamas deliberately wage war from within civilian populations precisely to create these ethical dilemmas. Their strategy relies on international outrage, hoping it will erode support for Israel’s actions.

Israel’s moral and legal position, as defended by military experts, is clear. The just war theory, which governs much of Western thinking on military ethics, emphasises the need for proportionality in the avoidance of civilian harm and aims to provide guidelines to ensure that wars are fought for the right reasons in a morally acceptable manner. But proportionality is not simply about body counts. It must take into account the scale of the threat and the intent behind military actions. Israel, surrounded by enemies who openly call for its destruction, is acting within these bounds. To say otherwise is to impose impossible standards – standards that no Western military would be expected to meet.

Israel’s survival is a matter of global security. The country’s fight has dealt significant blows to forces that threaten not just the Middle East, but the entire Western world. The Islamic Republic of Iran, a regime that has consistently undermined stability across the globe, has been weakened by Israel’s military precision and intelligence capabilities. The killing of key terror masterminds, like Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah, underscores this reality. Iran’s ambition to export its revolutionary ideology and establish dominance through terror is a direct challenge to the democratic values of the West. By holding the line, Israel is effectively pushing back against a larger, more insidious threat.

This is why it’s baffling to see Western nations, especially allies like the US, criticise Israel’s military strategy. Leaders who issue calls for restraint and ‘balanced’ condemnations between Hamas and Israel are missing the larger picture. It’s not just about Gaza or Lebanon; it’s about preserving a world where free societies can protect themselves from those who seek their annihilation. Referring to Winston Churchill’s famous words about the RAF during the Battle of Britain couldn’t be more apt. Israel, like those brave pilots, is holding off a much larger, more dangerous threat – and it’s doing so on behalf of us all.

In the face of such moral confusion among Western elites, it’s crucial to remember who Israel is fighting and what’s at stake. The Iranian regime and its proxies are not just hostile to Israel – they are hostile to the West’s values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. The savagery displayed by Hamas and Hezbollah, particularly in their brutal attacks on Israeli civilians, is a stark reminder of the stakes. This isn’t merely a territorial dispute; it’s a clash of civilisations.

So, as we watch the conflict unfold and hear repeated calls for ceasefires, restraint, and proportionality, we must ask ourselves: are we prepared to live in a world where Israel falls? The moral responsibility of Western nations isn’t just to offer sympathy or empty words of support – it’s to stand firm with Israel as it fights not only for its own survival but for the survival of the very principles that bind the West together.

Israel’s war, in the end, is a war for all of us.

Author: John Kempler