For Heaven's Sake The Case for War
Mar 5, 2026
A heated discussion about why most Israelis back a military response while many in the West condemn it. They probe perceived Western pacifism and how long-standing threats from Iran shape Israeli instincts. The conversation examines legal debates over preemption, the lived experience of perpetual danger, and a plea for empathy from liberal Jews abroad.
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Unconscious Pacifism Blocks Recognizing Threats
- Many Western critics display an "unconscious pacifism" that prevents them from recognizing or confronting long-term existential threats.
- Yossi Klein Halevi argues critics would likely have opposed WWII interventions and now relativize evil across actors like Trump, Netanyahu, and the Ayatollahs.
Preemptive Versus Preventative Under International Law
- International law permits self-defense and preemptive strikes if an attack is imminent, but critics frame the Iran strikes as non-imminent and therefore unlawful.
- Donniel Hartman explains the legal distinction between preemptive and preventative strikes and why imminence is contested.
Israel Sees Strikes As Part Of An Ongoing War
- Israelis view the conflict with Iran as ongoing, not a one-off incident, which reframes strikes as part of continuous self-defense.
- Donniel Hartman stresses Israel has been at war with Iran for decades, so "imminence" looks different from an Israeli perspective.