Morality and Warfare - Will They Go Hand-in-Hand?

This article was written by Oz Bin Nun, founder and director of LIBRAEL's. The opinions expressed are his alone.

Anti-war, pro-democracy protest in Jerusalem. We are asking tough questions about the viability of the war in Gaza

When one seek to sharply criticize the conduct of the State of Israel in Gaza - a legitimate and even important thing to do - it is important to do so with responsibility for facts-based discourse and via solutions-driven approach, without slipping into simplistic messages that may sound right but actually does more harm than good.

Here are four key takeaways to do that.

1. "One may believe that while removing the threat of Hamas and bringing back the hostages are completely legitimate objectives, yet how to achieve them is not clearly defined."

The war is dragging on, its goals are unclear, and the moral cost is high.

One can ask tough questions about the viability of the war in Gaza. Plenty of Israelis - and most of the liberals we speak with in America - believe that removing the threat of Hamas and bringing back the hostages are completely legitimate objectives, how to achieve them is not clearly defined, and if it is not clear it does not necessarily justify the enormous price - the severe harm to innocent civilians. Israel must explain, to itself and to the world, the rationale behind going into yet another ground maneuver.

2. "Acknowledging [Palestinian] pain is not "surrendering to Hamas", nor "Christian morality", but an understanding that war is hell."

Even a just war does not exempt us from moral responsibility.

Even if Israel is fighting for its security because of legitimate concerns, it must bravely face the outcome: innocent civilians, including children, are being harmed by actions on the ground. This pain is not “Hamas propaganda” - it is real, humane, and compels us to ask ourselves painful moral questions. Acknowledging that pain is not “surrendering to Hamas” or “Christian morality”, but an understanding that war is hell.

3. "Cruel and immoral political statements are being made by leaders calling for the intentional harm of civilians. These voices must not penetrate the IDF."

The moral situation is horrible - and we must not blur the boundaries of right and wrong.

The State of Israel is in a sharp moral dilemma: in the course of a necessary war for its defense, innocent people are being harmed as they are used as human shields. Amidst this, cruel and immoral political statements are being made by leaders calling for the intentional harm of civilians. We must not let these voices penetrate the IDF. We must protect not only the lives of our citizens but also the values that guide us, as citizens, as reservists, and as a society.

4. "Precisely out of deep concern for the country, we ask our fighters to make the right choices at every moral crossroads."

We trust the soldiers, and doubt the leaders.

We salute our soldiers, men and women, from across the political spectrum, who put their lives on the line day and night. Our trust in the political leadership is shaken - but not in those on the ground. Precisely out of deep concern for the country, we ask our fighters to make the right choices at every moral crossroads. We send you a hug, strength, an endless appreciation, and unwavering faith that you’ll do the right thing - even when we are asking difficult questions.

"I know the soldiers, the commanders, the oversight systems. I see a real, almost impossible daily effort - to fight the enemy while making a sincere and painful attempt to avoid harming innocent people, including sometimes while risking ourselves."

In conclusion: Since October 7, it has been clear that Hamas - with its ideology and brutality - cannot continue to exist as an active threat. Israel has a basic responsibility to defend not only civilian lives but the very idea that there is such a thing as a state that protects its citizens.

But anyone who thinks that morality is measured solely by whether or not the goal is just ignores the depth of the questions we are living with. I do not trust the current government - not its integrity, not its judgment, and not the way it speaks to the public, including to me. Some of the statements made by ministers are not only immoral - they harm us from within, they corrupt the spirit that sustains us.

And still, I see what’s happening on the ground. I know the soldiers, the commanders, the oversight systems. I see a real, almost impossible daily effort - to fight the enemy while making a sincere and painful attempt to avoid harming innocent people, including sometimes while risking ourselves. This position is painful, it is unimaginable, it is full of contradictions. But it is precisely from this difficulty that morality is revealed.

I am not blind to what is happening around us. As the war continues - the temptation to generalize, to give in to sweeping hatred, grows. It’s natural, but it’s also dangerous. We must stop, again and again, and remind ourselves that a justified war does not absolve us of our humanity. That the righteousness of our cause does not justify blindness.