Q&A: Allowing the Right of Return
Allowing the Right of Return
Question
Hello
In my understanding, you do not support collective punishment, and in addition the inheritance of the Land of Israel has no religious/faith significance for you.
As is well known, quite a few Arabs were expelled in 1948 by the state, and the vast majority of them were not involved in the war against Israel.
It could be that, from the standpoint of your worldview, this was a moral wrong (even without halakhic authorization), so in your opinion is it okay to support the right of return, even if it would harm the character of the Jewish state, in order to correct the wrongs of 1948?
Answer
In my opinion there is no moral necessity whatsoever to support this. Whoever starts a war must bear its consequences. To allow war as a gamble for profit alone is both a moral wrong and idiotic. Uninvolved civilians are part of the collective pursuer that is against us. In my opinion it is even morally called for to carry out a transfer of those who remained here, except that it is not practical. Individual morality in the short term is collective anti-morality in the long term.
Discussion on Answer
I am against harming them unless it is necessary in order to achieve victory and the objectives. See my article on Defensive Shield.
I didn’t understand how this answer fits with things you wrote not long ago, that you are against harming uninvolved people in Gaza.
The scenario is pretty similar to what happened in 1948 — Hamas launched a murderous attack against us.