The mainstream media is filled these days with “death toll” counts on both sides: “Palestinian” deaths numbering well over 200 now, and Israeli deaths totaling only one — as if this shows that the Israelis are acting unjustly and the “Palestinian” jihadis are innocent victims. Here are several key reasons why that is not the case. “Five reasons why comparing Israeli and Palestinian death totals is a misleading way to judge the conflict,” by Philip Klein, Washington Examiner, July 16, 2014:
One of the most common and misleading tactics deployed against Israel by its critics is to compare the number of dead Israelis and dead Palestinians, and use the figures to portray Palestinians as victims of Israeli aggression.
Vox’s Max Fisher, who is on a campaign to convince people that Israel bears primary responsibility for the absence of peace in the region, pushed the argument this week to show that the conflict was “lopsided.” The Legal Insurrection blog has rounded up other examples of liberals and critics of Israel making similar arguments emphasizing comparative death totals.
In a sense, it’s understandable why opponents of Israel seek to make such arguments, because it allows them to flash a simple statistic that could be persuasive those who are uninformed about the actual details of the conflict. But no objective observer should take moral arguments rooted in raw casualty statistics seriously, and below, I’ve given five reasons why.
1. Comparative death totals don’t say much about the morality of the various sides in a conflict
If you want to talk about lopsided death totals, check out this chart of German and American deaths during World War II.
According to the National World War II Museum, the war claimed between 6.6 million and 8.8 million German lives, compared with 418,500 American lives. That translates into a ratio of German to American deaths of at least 16 to 1, and as high as 21 to 1. Yet nobody is going to argue, based on these statistics, that Nazi Germany should be able to claim the moral high ground over the U.S. in the war.
To be clear, I’m not saying that the current conflict and World War II are the same. I make this point at the outset to establish that comparing raw death totals of parties in a conflict, devoid of context, says absolutely nothing about the morality of the various sides involved in a conflict. Nor does it reveal which side was the aggressor.
2. Raw totals don’t differentiate among civilians and terrorists
Another problem with looking at raw death totals is that they don’t say anything about who is being killed — a Palestinian terrorist and an Israeli child each count as one death as far as overall casualty statistics are concerned. A further look at data from B’Tselem, which Fisher and others rely on, found that between September 2000 (when Palestinians launched a campaign of terrorism known as the “Second Intifada”) and May 2014, 2,384 deaths on the Palestinian side were of “Palestinians who took part in the hostilities and were killed by Israeli security forces”; 683 were “Palestinians killed by Palestinians”; another 288 were “Palestinians who were the object of a targeted killing” (in other words, Israel identified terrorist leaders and successfully eliminated them); and 702 were Palestinians killed in cases where it’s unknown whether they were involved in fighting. So, depending on how one wants to look at the numbers, at least 3,067 and perhaps 3,769 of those Palestinians included in the raw total numbers of 7,561 were either combatants or killed by other Palestinians. This isn’t to say that there aren’t Palestinian civilian deaths, but for reasons detailed below, the responsibility for those deaths lies with Palestinian terrorists and their supporters, not with Israel.
3. Israel takes tremendous precautions to protect its own citizens
During the “Second Intifada,” Palestinian terrorists carried out a wave of suicide bombings, killing hundreds of Israelis at nightclubs, cafes, buses, and other locations throughout Israel, such as at a hotel during the Jewish holiday of Passover. Eventually, over the objections of the international community, Israel built a security fence that has proved successful in virtually eliminating the capacity of terrorists to carry out suicide attacks. Being deprived of their ability to massacre Jews through suicide bombings, Palestinians turned toward indiscriminately firing rockets at Israeli civilians.
Terrorists have launched more than 11,000 rockets into Israel since Hamas took over Gaza in 2005, according to Israel Defense Forces. In the current conflict, Hamas has been using longer-range rockets, firing at Israel’s capital city, major population centers, and its international airport, among other targets.
To protect its citizens, the Israeli government has been sending out sirens warning them of approaching rockets so they can get to shelter — the warning time ranges from 15 seconds in the southern parts of Israel closer to Gaza to 90 seconds for most of central Israel. In addition, Israel has developed the “Iron Dome” anti-missile system that has been shooting down rockets heading toward populated areas. Add these precautions to the fact that Israel has a citizenry trained in how to behave calmly during a crisis, and this accounts for the fact that there’s only been one death recorded on the Israeli side during the current conflict.
But somehow, the way the issue is being portrayed by critics, it’s as if Israelis should somehow feel guilty and morally conflicted about the fact that they aren’t at greater risk of being hit by rockets….
There is more, and it is all good and important. Read the rest here.

11B40 says
Greetings:
I was just watching the PBS Newshour on the local station. Margaret Warner was interviewing the Israeli Ambassador to the USofA when he laid the World War II American versus German bodycounts on her to undermine her “proportionality” concerns. Ms. Warner did not seem amused.
Tradewinds says
I really don’t understand why people are so concerned about the Muslim casualties. The world is not short on Muslims, in fact there’s too many Muslims, facilitated by polygamy and child brides. Muslims out-breed Europeans 7 to 1. There’s only a handful of Jews in the world. The less Islam the better.
You want “proportion?” Then get rid of millions of Muslims.
Jay Boo says
Tradewinds
Ref to:
“You want ‘proportion?’ Then get rid of millions of Muslims.”
That sounds a bit like (the ends justifies the means) ‘Final Solutionist’ school of thought.
Jay Boo says
in reference also to Tradewinds beginning sentence:
“I really don’t understand why people are so concerned about the Muslim casualties. The world is not short on Muslims, in fact there’s too many Muslims”
Tradewinds says
Well Jay if you want the West and Africa and India and Malaysia to continue to be overrun by over-populating Muslims and their worldwide Demographic Jihad – be my guest. Enjoy yourself. Because the Muslims and their Jihad ideology do not give one crap about you, infidel. So, you figure something out. Waiting to hear. It’s the Muslims who would love a “final solution” against the Jews and the infidels – all non-Muslims, including you.
dumbledoresarmy says
Not quite offtopic. I’m putting it here as a shoutout, because time is short.
Paging any Aussie jihadwatchers who live in or within travelling distance of Perth, Western Australia, and are or can be at liberty on Sunday 20 July 2014 upcoming.
There will be a rally on *behalf* of Israel in Perth on Sunday 20 July, at 12.30 pm (ie midday), at the corner of Murray St and Forest Chase.
If you can possibly get there – or if not, if you have friends and other connections in Perth who *could* get there and might be interested – please, go along. Drop everything and go. Because this (like every other pro-Israel rally/ event that anyone is organising) needs to be BIG.
The mohammedan mob respects one thing and one thing only – superior force. So: make a display of force; bring out the numbers. (I would suggest to people attending such rallies that they organise “rally-buddies” for themselves, and go in groups of at least three per group, for travelling to and from).
And – West Australians – take careful note of which, if any, of your state or Federal elected representatives is brave enough to turn up at the rally. Anyone who does should be considered at least educable, re. Jihad. See who passes what I call “the Israel test”.
Oh, and also paging Kiwi jihadwatchers; *your* pro-Israel rally is taking place in Wellington New Zealand this Friday 18 July 2014.
http://www.jwire.com.au/news/pro-israel-rally-in-wellington/44308
https://www.facebook.com/events/1483996181843645/
If you can possibly manage it…BE there.
PS – Some information re those who have to date been killed in Jihad Armed Camp and Forward Operating Base Gaza .
From one of my favourite Jewish Israeli bloggers, Israeliminx:
http://israeliminx.wordpress.com/2014/07/16/a-round-up-of-our-rocket-full-day-so-far/
“As far as the claims the international media is making about how most of the Palestinian deaths have been innocent civilians, welllllll,
“**Al Jazeera published a list of the names, ages, and spot they were killed and nearly 90% are MALES aged 16-45 (e.g. Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants) and almost all of the males older than 55 have been identified as senior Hamas and I.J. leaders.** {my emphasis – dda}.
” 20 women are on the list of dead and about a dozen children under 16, 8 of whom were killed on the second day when IDF forces saw the civilians exit a target at their warning, launched the rocket, and then to their horror saw a bunch of people with kids in tow running back into the building.”
You might want to keep that information tucked up your sleeve for handy reference.
dumbledoresarmy says
Link re the Perth Rally.
http://jewishspiritualityaustralia.wordpress.com/2014/07/17/perth-peace-rally/
https://jewishspiritualityaustralia.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/peace-rally.jpg
It’s being organised by “Friends of Israel [in] Western Australia”, by a Jewish community group, and by an outfit called “Bridges for Peace” who I suspect are probably naive interfaithers.
However, their declared slogan “Stop Hamas Terrorism” is OK so far as it goes, and the subsidiary statements are OK.
Go; but go in the awareness that you may need – very politely, in soft and gentle measured tones – to educate some of those you meet, who support Israel but don’t as yet realize that the war on Israel is a full-blown classical Jihad, as to the full, awful reality of the situation, and that there really is NO “bridge for peace” that can be built between A/ those (i.e. the Muslim Mob, the Ummah) who are intent on Total World Domination (up to and including genocide) and B/ those (namely, all of us Infidels, Jews and non-Jews) whom the Mohammedan Mob is ideologically programmed to subjugate and/ or exterminate.
If any other Aussies here find out about any other pro-israel rallies being organised anywhere in Australia, please share the info quickly.
Jax Tolmen says
I would very much like to attend a rally – but have found no information about one being held in Sydney. If anyone knows, can you please post the details here.
John Haller says
Thanks for your links re the Pro Israel March in Perth on the 20th.
Here’s something that might interest you. Last Saturday, a good friend of mine, heard via radio that a Pro Palestine march was about to get underway in downtown Perth. Unable to contact anyone else she knew, she headed out and arrived just before the march began and positioned herself on a pedestrian overpass that the PPR’s would pass under. At the appropriate time she unfurled the Israeli national flag that she had brought with her. There were approximately 500 PPR’s and as far as we know she was the only Pro Israeli supporter in the vicinity. Anyhow to cut the story short several Pro Palestinian adult males took objection to her presence and managed to corner her in the entrance of a retail store where they took her flag from her and actually roughed her up. There was no help forthcoming from the public and it seems that there were virtually no police supervising the proceedings(very strange). The Saturday previous to this some of us decided we were going to quietly oppose the “International Dawa day” by showing up where they were, Perth City. They were dressed in purple T-shirts and their demographic was teenage boys and the usual goofy looking schoolgirls wearing head scarves. Not a stoney faced Imam or jihadi in sight. We had a minor success because they eventually removed or covered their distinctive purple outfits because our handouts caused the public to avoid them after we arrived. The reason for this digression is just to point out that there were Police in pairs everywhere continually patrolling all through the downtown area during this. A week later, virtually none. Anyhow there is another Pro Palestine march on Saturday so it may be a busy weekend.
dumbledoresarmy says
John.
Is your friend Jewish or non-Jewish? Either way, she should be reporting the incident to the relevant Jewish advocacy and opposition-to-antisemitism lobbies.
Has she reported the incident to the police? If she hasn’t, she MUST. THIS WAS AN ASSAULT. THREE men attacking *one* woman. That is really, really ugly stuff. Did they leave her with bruises, etc? If so, she should have gotten a friend to photograph the damage, right away; even gone to a medical centre, so that a doctor’s report could be put on the record.
If the attack happened in the entrance of a retail store there should be a/ non-Muslim passerby witnesses and b/ CCTV footage of some kind.
I would also advise her to go to the papers and make NOISE; and write letters to the relevant local members – both State and Federal – and to the Premier of WA, describing what happened and describing, as best she can, the identity, appearance and behaviour of the attackers. If they were Muslim, yelling in Arabic or allahu akbaring, that *has* to be made clear.
dumbledoresarmy says
PS
This is precisely why I have said, earlier in this thread, that those attending / participating in pro-Israel demos need to organise themselves so that they have “rally buddies”. While travelling to and from the demo, and also while participating, they must always, always, always be in a group of at least three people. One person should be the official “camera person” to record any incidents associated with the demo.
In some environments – e.g. if there were a rally in the embassy precinct in Canberra – it would be I think quite appropriate for people to take along their – if well-schooled – dogs.
gravenimage says
I agree with Dumbledore’s Army, John—your friend needs to report this assault.
Silvia says
It’s not “misleading”. It’s cynical, hateful and completely deliberate. It ignores the truth of who wages war and who defends itself. It ignores the way the Hamas “fights”. It ignores the motivations and aims of that murderous entity. It immorally bemoans the fact that Israelis (Jews really) won’t let themselves be slaughtered to make these Jew Haters trashing them, feel it’s all more “fair” (as if war is supposed to be “fair”). The only way they can feel sympathy is if there are enough dead Jews. They would never in a million years expect that of any people defending itself, let alone from themselves. They are holding Israel’s success in defending itself against her.
It’s reached a point where while Hamas is attacking Israel’s POPULATION for the 3ed time in 8 years, this time almost all of Israel, while they have to fight their potential murderers that are entrenched inside a civilian population, they have to apologize for trying to fend off the devil and being successful even in terrible circumstances.
Ozzy70 says
Your No. 1 reason is absurd. The Americans did not enter the war until the last couple of years and were hardly responsible for all the German deaths. Add in the British, Australian, New Zealand, Russian deaths, etc and you will find the difference in casualties no-where near as note-worthy.
However I totally agree with the gist of your comments. The Palestinians, with their ridiculous claims and demands deserve a lot more being meted out to them than they are getting.
duh_swami says
The way to win a war is to win it. Any other outcome is a loser.
Israel cannot afford to lose, if dhimmi/leftist/liberals can’t understand that, too bad. Israel will do what it has to do if you agree or not.
SINANTARA says
political correctness is a christian heresy that brings together two things, that ones neigghbor is “the other” (romans, samaritans, sinners, the poor and down trodden, blacks, homo sexuals, muslims etc. Hence, if one is not the other, like a heterosexual white male, he is the enemy. Then, the sermon of the mount where the meek and persecuted inherit the heavens, translated in, losers win, and therefore, winners lose. This has given rise to victimhood being the highest moral value.
To be fair, the israelis should wait for a victim on their side, then claim a victim on the other side who should be selected to match (gender, age, etc.).
Judi says
Can I advertise a pro Israel rally being held by the Zionist Federation in London this coming Sunday, 20th July between 2-4 pm outside the Israeli Embassy:
http://bnaibrithuk.org/the-zionist-federation-is-holding-a-solidarity-rally-for-israel-20th-july/
Anyone who loves Israel is welcome to come along.
dumbledoresarmy says
Terrific! Thanks for posting that; I hope you get a tremendous rollup of Islamosavvy Friends of Israel.
I hope all British jihadwatchers can manage to get there.
But because it’s in London I’d recommend that any who are going, arrange to go in groups. Stay in the group travelling there, while there, and travelling home.
Might be worth taking along your siddur if Jewish and your book of Psalms if you’re a Christian.
Jan Fourowls says
“Act-ting! Master Muslima Thespian!” Re: photo atop the article.
JW commenters of a certain age will remember the SNL sketches.
There have been so many other staged or at least photoshopped images featuring the Muslimas of Gaza’s July 2014 war against Israel. Also staged is the cruelly calculated evil by which Hamas puts its human-shield and mandated-under-Hamas-threat-of-persecution-to-stay-put citizens deliberately at risk when Israel engages in necessary self-defense, only so that Hamas can up its civilian dead-and-wounded statistics to play the global victim card.
Hamas: We laugh that you are so transparent.
Allaha FUBAR!!!!! (It’s my new greeting for Muslims, not a war cry at all but an interfaith overture of the valiant struggle for peace we all share.)
Seriously, we’re sad, Hamas — at least for a moment because wasting more downer energy than that on terrorists makes no sense — that you and your Muslim brothers hate human beings so much to make your own citizen-soldiers into human shields, but all the blame and all the shame and all the burning in hell forever and ever belong to you (oopsie, did I type that last part — please forgive me, Jesus, eternal vengeance in the final judgment belongs not to any human and certainly not to the fake Mo/Allah but to the real God).
Speaking of Whom, God bless all the pro-Israel rallies going on wherever they may be! In solidarity, be brave, be strong, be very joyful you’re doing the right thing!
Jan Fourowls says
Clarification to above — the right to dispense eternal vengeance in the final judgment belongs not to any human and certainly not to the fake Mo/Allah but to the real God.
Jay Boo says
If an ant crosses our path do we rise up in anger.
Of course not, we are not so easily offended by a mere ant.
This is ‘Good News’ for the ant.
A god who is truly great does not dwell on dispensing eternal vengeance on us little human beings.
el-cid says
The average person’s concern about body counts in disingenuous. No one cares about the Palestinian lives, including their leadership. They do care about Jews with guns.
The average person,including many Jews, don’t imagine Jews as people defending themselves. The average person imagines a Jew with a funny hat hunched over a book–a perfect target for a bully.
The same stupid Jews who support gun control are often the same anti-Israel fools. If my grandparents in Europe had guns, they would have survived the war.
The people most affected by the images of Palestinian deaths are Jews because we understand the hardship and because we don’t desire anyone to be killed. As Golda Meir said, we cannot forgive the Arabs for forcing us to kill their sons.
And, even one Jewish death is too many. Think of each Jew as Private Ryan.
Beagle says
I put on my waders and HAZMAT suit to delve into CiF at the Guardian and read Seamus Hitler’s (iirc) editorial.
So many points to be made, but I will focus on only one. The most common talking point attempting to justify HAMAS’ artillery rocket barrage at Israeli cities is “the right to resist.” This is mentioned in the op-ed and in dozens of comments.
Let’s assume, arguendo, that is completely correct: HAMAS has a ‘right to resist’ which includes rocket barrages at civilians. Again, this is an assumption for the purpose of argument.
What rights then do the Jews in Israel have? It seems only the right to take cover and cower. Is it reasonable or practical for millions of Jews to pack up and go, ah, somewhere else in the middle of a war against an aspiring genocidal jihadi force? Does the Pali ‘right to resist’ suggest a duty on the part of the Israelis to merely absorb the strikes and not respond in any way? Would a proportional response (randomly shoot artillery into Gaza) be acceptable? If the ‘right to resist’ exists so long as Jews live in Israel, is there ever an enforceable security guarantee to be obtained through negotiations?
Only Israel it seems is permanently caught in a Catch-22 situation where it must suffer years-long air bombardment from a formerly-occupied territory and respond only with casualties. If launching unguided rockets at cities is trivial, second look at the V-1 and V-2? British strategic bombing killed exponentially more people than the German rockets aimed at London. Should we listen to an old Nazi whinge about proportionality?
Beagle says
Correction: Seumas Hitler. I misspelled his first name.
His last sentence advocates peace through dead Jews.
Beagle says
I could tear this apart for a hundred single-spaced pages. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/16/gaza-shameful-injustice-israel-attacks-occupied-people
The fever-swamp assertion that support for HAMAS has never been higher is another absurd claim. Arabs have abandoned HAMAS this time in record numbers. It’s a sad day when a British op-ed exceeds the average Egyptian in thirst for Jewish blood.
Beagle says
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/16/gaza-shameful-injustice-israel-attacks-occupied-people
Forgot to link. Another glaringly deceitful bit of agitprop is his claim support for HAMAS has never been higher. At this point, support for HAMAS is higher in the Guardian offices than in Egypt.
If so inclined I believe I could write a hundred single-spaced pages debunking this tripe.
Beagle says
I posted and got nothing. Refreshed several times. Then I reposted and the first post appeared.
jewdog says
If somebody throws a grenade at your house and you shoot him, is he a victim? This whole debate is part of the absurdity of trying to parry people who will never be convinced because they are too blinded by hatred and bigotry.
Whenever I’m posting on jpost.com and there’s a pro-Hamas troll, I write a stock reply: “Christians are being killed and persecuted throughout the Islamic world. Who are the Christians oppressing?” I have yet to see a coherent answer.
gravenimage says
Jewdog wrote:
If somebody throws a grenade at your house and you shoot him, is he a victim?
………………………………
Spot on comparison, Jewdog—Muslims want to attack Israel without consequence—they only start yelling the minute Israel starts defending herself.
voegelinian says
The larger context framed by our Western PC MC (and adroitly exploited by Muslims) is that they are an Oppressed Brown People under a cruel Apartheid Regime, and they are thus “driven to desparate measures” to “freedom-fight” against their evil Oppressor.
Tradewinds says
Anyone who wants to go and reside in a Brown people-ruled country, go right ahead. No one is stopping you.
The Levite says
http://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/press-releases/unrwa-strongly-condemns-placement-rockets-school
Tzipporah says
The only thing Israel can do right for anti-Semites is commit suicide.
joeb says
The picture accompanying this article seems, amusingly, somewhat similar to this:
http://www.thepeoplescube.com/current-truth/flat-fatima-revolution-in-news-photography-t798.html
Greg Robert says
I’ve been a died-in-the-world-moderately-extreme liberal for my whole life (65) but I’ve got to say the Muslims are wearing me down.
They want fair, upright, respecting treatment.
Fine, then get the hell out of the 5th century.
I keep hearing that most Muslims are “great people”, but oddly I NEVER run into them.
Tradewinds says
Greg – Islam didn’t appear until the 7th century, about 622.
Don’t give them any more time on the planet than they’ve had! If only Islam had never appeared the world would be a far nicer and safer place.