Q&A: Should We Get Entangled in Another War in Syria?
Should We Get Entangled in Another War in Syria?
Question
The Druze in this country made a covenant of blood with us.
Should we now, when their brothers in Syria are being slaughtered,
be obligated to save them?
Should we see them the way the Druze see themselves—as brothers, whether in Syria or in Israel—or should we say: an Israeli citizen, yes; a Druze citizen, yes; but this is not our business? And what about Jews in distress, where we activate the IDF and the Mossad to rescue them, and the Druze serve there too?
On the other hand, we are in a problematic region, and mutual clan slaughter is a bottomless pit.
(And if only within our own society we won’t, in a few years, reach mutual slaughter between the groups here—Netanyahu is inciting in that direction.)
Answer
We are supposed to save anyone we can, anywhere, to the extent of our ability, even if there is no covenant of blood.
Discussion on Answer
I don’t know how to give a definition. There’s common sense and reasonable proportions of costs and benefits.
What is the definition of “to the extent of our ability”?
After all, it’s obvious that technically we could divert resources to save huge numbers of people around the world; the problem is that it would come at the expense of the welfare of our own people.