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The ethics of the Middle East war

Tony Coady is professorial fellow at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics at the University of Melbourne.

In an op-ed piece in The Age yesterday he wrote:

"As the UN ceasefire takes effect, it is time to evaluate crucial moral aspects of the war in Lebanon. Both Hezbollah and Israel appealed to the idea of "just cause" in the conflict, thereby invoking a central justifying element in the moral tradition of the just war. But they ignored other just war constraints, most importantly: last resort, prospects of success, proportionality and discrimination. My discussion concentrates on Israel's case, but the lessons also apply to much in the Hezbollah campaign."

This is a thoughtful and balanced piece worth reading - here.

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