The article also presumes that discerning the difference between "combatant" and "non-combatant" in Gaza is as simple as looking for uniforms.
They call you personally! Can you imagine how that phone call goes down? "Hey, uh, we're planning on bombing your neighborhood later on today, and there's a chance, you know, I don't want to give probabilities? But definitely a chance that your home won't be standing when we're done. With the bombing and such. So you're going to want to leave your last shreds of wealth and security behind for like a day or so. Maybe more." If that isn't courtesy, I don't know what is. On the other hand, a ground war against unmarked combatants in a territory what, a third the size of Los Angeles? Populated by 1.5m... that's gonna be a tough sell (pretty sure you can map the logistics of this way better than I could). I see how they'd want to just stick to missiles for as long as possible. But then don't paint it as the Moral Option. That's a slap in the face. It's the Easy Option.True, Israel only targets combatants and takes unprecedented efforts at avoiding civilians (making personalized phone calls to civilians before striking areas near them)
It's like this: Imagine New Jersey was a nuclear power. Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, Connecticut, North Carolina and, bizarrely, Texas have invaded ad attempted to annihilate it in the past but due to complex treaty arrangements and more than a little chutzpah, New Jersey stands. Unfortunately, the people of Newark used to be the people of New Jersey and they resent being confined to a walled slum. Every now and then tensions boil up and the Newarkians launch rockets into the surrounding boroughs. New Jersey, maintaining a military capable of fending off an invasion from any three neighboring states, has ample ability to level Newark in a day. However, this would be an international human rights catastrophe and unabashed genocide. Texas knows this so it foments "Texas-style" unrest at all the honkeytonks in Newark. There's no possible way it's not going to be extremely fucked up. Even the least bad option is a human rights disaster.
Oh, and the reason New Jersey is able to maintain its military is because California is pouring billions of Silicon Valley moolah into Jersey. California ostensibly hates Texas and Newark but, coincidentally, aid laws are purchased by California defense contractors, from whom Jersey purchases weapons.
