Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a daily column that runs on Page 1 of The Asahi Shimbun.
October 27, 2023 at 13:43 JST
Palestinian children sit amid rubble as others inspect a building destroyed by Israeli strikes in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct. 17. (Reuters)
Can an act of injustice be validated if it is committed for the sake of what one firmly believes to be “justice”?
If the answer is yes, then how far can injustice be condoned so long as the purpose is to defeat evil?
My mind just wouldn’t let go of this universal and timeless conundrum that has plagued countless people who have gone before me.
The reported death toll in Gaza continues rising, with more than 2,000 children now dead. I know deaths should not be quantified, but the sheer irrationality of this number leaves me speechless. What have those innocents ever done to deserve this?
I can fully appreciate why Israelis firmly believe in their own justice. Many of their compatriots have been brutally slain and some have been taken hostage. Still, does this justify their taking so many innocent lives?
Even U.S. President Joe Biden, who has pledged unwavering support to the administration of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, appealed to Israel not to be “consumed” by rage. And recalling the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the Afghan war that ensued, he said the United States had “sought and got justice but also made mistakes.”
Once injustice is allowed to run rampant in the name of justice, it will not be easy to stop it from escalating.
In his book “The Lesser Evil: Political Ethics in an Age of Terror,” Canadian academic and former Harvard University professor Michael Ignatieff noted that the most difficult choice is not between good and evil, but between evil and greater evil.
An Israeli who was attacked by Hamas told The Asahi Shimbun, “I do not want to fight (in a war). I just want to stay alive.”
Mulling over this and many other weighty comments, I believe very strongly that a truce should be declared. Right now.
--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 27
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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
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