After the ceasefire

It was interesting to see the opinions about Israel fighting Hamas after there is a ceasefire. Military theorist Carl von Clausewitz is reported to have said, "War is politics by other means." It was refreshing to see a peaceful, polite discussion about Israeli politics and the war. Authors were questioning the war tactics and disturbed by the Arab casualties. Hamas thrives on creating "legitimacy traps," housing military supplies and fighters in civilian settings such as hospitals, apartments, schools and mosques. It is easy for arm-chair generals who are not directly involved in a war to critique tactics and outcomes.

I trained as a psychiatrist in a Veterans Administration hospital right after the Vietnam war. Many of the staff and patients had been war veterans. The stories were of split-second decisions that had life or death consequences. Soldiers talked of killing people dressed as civilians who approached US military assets and ignored warnings. One former soldier had recurring nightmares of having to kill a girl he estimated was about 6 years old. He said that she saw his unit in a Viet Cong area and was going to alert her village. If he had not killed the girl, his whole unit would have been exposed and wiped out. When fighting an enemy shooting from a hospital, the choice is to shoot back, risking civilian casualties or risk dying yourself. You have seconds to decide. Such is a war against terrorists using human shields.

I wish to thank the Jewish community for keeping the internal divisions peaceful. I also wish to thank President Trump for helping free the hostages and giving peace a chance. General Mattis said, "The enemy gets a vote." Unfortunately, Hamas seems to be voting to return to public executions and the oppression of the Gazan people.

Farrel I. KIein

Providence, RI