On innocent civilians, I suppose I'm a Darwinist. In WW2, the Allies, as a whole, held the German people responsible for the acts of the Nazi government. Adolph Hitler was voted in, and was supported, at least tacitly, by the people of the German state. The Japanese were likewise held responsible for the actions of their government. There were no German civilians, no Japanese civilians. They were enemies, pure and simple. Allied bombing campaigns targeted not only industries and logistics, but "civilian" targets as well. As I remember reading, over 100,000 Japanese died from the firebombing of Tokoyo (an area at the time with very little significant industry, but with significant psychological value as a target)- and very few Americans- if any- lost sleep over it.
I say all this to say there are no civilians in war.
The people of Gaza allow Hamas to rule them and to hide among them, so they too are resposible for the acts that Hamas conducts, as surely as the Japanese and Germans were in WW2. I think Western societies have just lost the spine to do what any logically thinking person knows needs to be done. You cut out cancer, you irradiate it, and poison it- you don't feed the shit.
HAving said that I always remember that just as surely as we are responsible for the acts of our own government. Through our actions or lack thereof we condone its acts and share in its responsibility.
