For some reason, I am supposed to be outraged that Israel strips its prisoners down to their underwear when they are captured.

I am not. Not in the least.

Many in Israel viewed the images as righteous vengeance. Israeli media, which is censored by the military, claimed that the detainees were Hamas militants. But Palestinians in Gaza identified relatives who they said were not fighters. Some were released. https://t.co/IOux91mFCz

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) December 14, 2023

My lack of concern has nothing to do with a sense of righteous wrath against Hamas terrorists, about whom I have the least possible concern for their feelings.

Israel itself admits that the majority of the people caught up in the dragnet are not Hamas terrorists. In an ideal world, a simple glance with X-ray glasses could easily separate armed terrorists from unarmed civilians.

We don’t live in that world; instead, we live in a world where some Islamic extremists are perfectly happy to strap bombs on themselves and blow themselves up in the hope of taking out some Israelis. Contrary to the characterization of these activists and “reporters,” the purpose of stripping the prisoners is to ensure the safety of the soldiers and, by extension, the Palestinian civilians who likely would be killed by a suicide bomber or armed terrorist.

Palestinians who are lingering around a battlefield are taking a chance that they will get killed or searched, so I have a difficult time getting overly outraged that they have been treated as potential combatants. And, as we know, some substantial fraction of the people captured are armed members of Hamas. Israel has a right to find and neutralize them.

How hard is this to understand?

Should the photographs have been released? On that I can agree with the critics. However, the Israeli military claims that they were taken by individual soldiers and had not been released as part of a strategy to humiliate Palestinian prisoners.

It is particularly rich that Hamas and its supporters are suddenly hiding behind the claim that their dignity is being violated. After all we are talking about people who committed or celebrated some of the most horrific war crimes seen in the region. As is so often the case, Hamas is trying to impose rules of war on Israel while obeying none at all

Today, we protested outside Dáil Éireann, Dublin. We conducted a strip demo in solidarity with the Palestinian men who have been rounded up, captured, humiliated, stripped, tortured and killed by the Zionist army. Thank you, comrades for your bravery, empathy and solidarity! pic.twitter.com/plvs9evruO

— Social Rights Ireland 🇮🇪 🇵🇸 (@SocialRightsIRL) December 9, 2023

As it is, 72% of Palestinians support Hamas’ conduct in the war, so it is rich to have these supporters of savages complaining that they are being humiliated by Israeli soldiers. After all, they support parading raped (a war crime) Israeli women who have been kidnapped (a war crime) and beating them in front of Palestinian civilians.

There is a legitimate, practical argument against Israel doing things that are justified but offend the sensibilities of people in Gaza and around the world: will doing these things now make things worse later? It is the old “Are we creating more enemies” question.

About that question, I have no answer. On its face, it seems silly to consider the sensibilities of Gazans; it is hard to imagine that anti-Israel sentiment can get much worse. International opinion? It is hard to say. There is massive pressure on Israel to “restrain” itself, but I have no idea if the anti-Israel sentiment will survive much past the war. And how much of that sentiment preceded the current conflict? It’s not like the world rallied around Israel after the 10/7 attack.

And you have to weigh all those considerations against the dangers of not eliminating Hamas, which is vital to Israel’s survival.

As for the outrage at Israel’s actions? Seems silly to me.