Is human annihilation ever morally justified?
The complete destruction or obliteration of a human entity is an act which is thought of as one that defies compassion, morality and always associated with barbarism or savagery. That is because the only people who consider such a choice have almost always been terrorists, anarchists and the worst society has to offer.
Consequently, it’s something which has been rejected by most people, especially those whose religious persuasions cause them to believe in the sanctity of life. Oddly enough, though, the concept of human annihilation has also been used, but as a non-justification, by atheists who point to the explicit instructions often given by God in the Old Testament, to destroy an entire people, including their wives, children and cattle. For them, they view such a directive as the greatest impediment to the acceptance of faith, in which killing was commanded.
And while that was how the world began, it is no longer that way. In fact, the terrorism which we are witnessing today is so contrary to the principles of civilized life, that it has shown us that the two are incapable of co-existence.
It’s just not possible for one society, which values the beauty of art, nature, music, education, family, travel and every kind of modern advancement which has enhanced our lives, to live peaceably with another one which devalues life, exploits those who are weaker, holds family as disposable creatures and sees life as a means to kill and conquer others.
Such diverse societies can, in no way, bridge the enormous expanse between them, because there is no basis or commonality from which to start.
That is the reason that, over the past year and half, Israel has come to the conclusion that living next door to people whose sole raison d’etre is to rid the world of our presence, is no longer feasible. The great experiment of two clashing societies has played out, and the end result is that there is no appeasement, compromise or even deterrence in this game of kill or be killed.
When those are the stakes, it becomes apparent that the annihilation of those committed to terrorism must be justified, because, contrary to what some think, their ideology does not begin and end with the Jews. Theirs is an enduring commitment to master all others by subduing societies and then placing them in subjugation and enslavement.
This is the type of evil which humanity is confronting. They will stop at nothing to upend the goodness and wonder of life, which they see as meaningless. Totally dedicated to the call of their brand of extremist religious fervor, they believe that Allah has commanded them to wage war against those who will not surrender to Islam.
Freedom must end as a forced coercion takes over, demanding that one’s conscience be put aside, while employing robotic obedience, emptied of all humanity, sentiment and brotherly kindness.
We know this is how they operate, because how else could anyone take the life of two innocent, red-headed babies who never got a chance to harm anyone? Who would tear them apart with their bare hands along with their mother? Who would stuff a baby into an oven or chop off the body parts of young women after having violated them?
These are the acts of depraved men, who, in all honesty, do not deserve to live, because that gift is too precious for them to appreciate. Their lack of conscience, tenderheartedness and all other human feeling, which sets us higher than all other species, is missing from them, rendering them incapable of personal accountability or the type of regret that is felt by most of us after having done something wrong.
For those who are unwilling to live in accordance with societal laws, respecting boundaries and bridling one’s self, there are consequences. And when one group of people band together to mercilessly attack another, that is when military defense must be taken up, despite the misgivings of a new generation who see it as illegitimate or akin to genocide.
In essence, these so-called compassionate souls are equating efforts to preserve life with the barbaric attacks of those who take life. They are the ruthless cheerleaders who stand on the sidelines, rooting for the “freedom fighters” of their day, whom they see as completely justified to enact violence as a means to an end.
Of course, those who encourage the terrorists are never at the receiving end of their hatred. If they were, they might see it differently. It’s sad, but some of the greatest advocates of Gazans, despite knowing that their leaders were avowed terrorists, were also the recipients of some of the cruelest acts that savagely ended their lives. We can only imagine what their final thoughts were as they contemplated just how wrong they were to think that they should be given the benefit of the doubt.
It's too late for them now, but it’s not too late for the rest of us to understand what we’re up against. As horrible as it sounds, when faced with the clear choice of killing or being killed, there isn’t a lot of choice in what needs to be done.
Hamas must be totally and fully annihilated for the metastasizing cancer that it represents. If not hermetically eradicated, it will only live to find a way to strengthen itself and continue to attack. As it gains traction, it will enlist new recruits and more ruthless cheerleaders who have abandoned the precepts of civilized humanity, preferring to be part of a growing trend which has turned its back on our laws, morals and ethics.
That is why there is no time to waste in doing what must be done. As a people who cherish liberty, order, respect for others, tolerance and goodness to our fellow man, we must be as committed to the preservation of those ideals as the enemy is to the destruction of every attribute which has been given to us when we were created in the image of God.
Is human annihilation ever morally justified? Yes! When humans cease being human and become the demons of hell, whose aim is to revel in the suffering of others, that is the time to come to the conclusion that their destruction must happen, because if it doesn’t, mankind will become extinct!
That is what God knew, and it was the reason that He commanded Israel to destroy the enemy before first being destroyed by them.
A former Jerusalem elementary and middle-school principal who made Aliyah in 1993 and became a member of Kibbutz Reim but now lives in the center of the country with her husband. She is the author of Mistake-Proof Parenting, based on the principles from the book of Proverbs - available on Amazon.
