The deeply distressing events in Gaza have predictably brought forth a lot of fighting among the partisans. However, there are a large number of us on the third side of the conflict: on the side of justice for civilians, all civilians, men, women, children. On the side of the rule of law, including established international law (flawed though it is). On the side of peace and negotiation and against those in any camp who push toward war.
I have found many compassionate, quiet, and reasoned voices here at dkos, speaking with power against the madness. Many of us don't care about who controls which patch of land so much as we wish to see all people treated with decency, respect and kindness, and hate the violence and deplore those who would justify it as some kind of "right" to this or that. I apologize for having a diary without news or content, but I feel it worthwhile to express the views I know I share with many that our "side" in the conflict is on all those who merely seek the peace and quiet in which to live decent lives.
I humbly offer a small declaration of our principles, and seek comment and signatories.
We, the Mercutioists, have grown tired of the incessant fighting in Israel and Palestine and elsewhere.
We despise the use of force to inflict harm on innocent civilians, whether the bombing of civilians involves the death of the bomber. We deplore the use of violence against civilians whether that violence is conducted with intent or knowing recklessness with respect to the lives and safety of the civilians. All such are crimes of war, humanitarian crimes or crimes against humanity.
Second, we oppose political efforts and ideologies that thrive on war and seek to perpetuate it. We have certainly seen a flowering of the political strategy that uses war for political gains in the U.S. and elsewhere, and such strategies are odious because of the horrendous costs that must be born by children and parents and innocent individuals. We oppose organizations and actors which seek war or undermine peace efforts, whether by conducting inciting violence during negotiations, assassinating individuals during negotiations, or continuing conduct during negotiations which makes a solution to any conflict more difficult to achieve. To be trite, peace is the answer. We need more jaw, jaw, and not so much war, war.
Third, we resist the efforts of others to propagandize in support of their war efforts. We will seek to bring the truth, as best it can be discovered, to the debate and respectfully oppose those who will seek propagate propagandizing falsehoods in debates. Yes, we will link to our sources and try to use the most neutral sources available.
Fourth, we hold ourselves to careful consideration of legal and moral principles before alleging a violation of any. If we will call something a "genocide" or "ethnic cleansing" it will be only after we have done our due diligence to investigate what those terms actually mean. We will point out were others cheapen these through misapplication.
Fifth, but most importantly, we will take it upon ourselves to bring the voice of human decency as the paramount value over the narrow partisan and political aims of narrow groups. Regardless of the outcome of any conflict, we will promote the view that it is the well-being of all the innocent that is the highest value and political goal, whether the children are Israeli, Palestinian, Tamil, Kashmiri, Kurdish, or whatever.
Sixth, . . .
Please comment and add to these principles for our conduct in the discourse here an elsewhere. If you have screaming matches, take them to any of the other diaries. If you are a TU, feel free to HR those who wish to hijack this to start them here.
Thank you all!