That is not fair. “Active duty IDF soldier” is everyone in Israel once they reach a certain age. Even the ultra-orthodox are no longer exempt.
You’re talking about 18-year-olds who were conscripted taking some R&R to go to a music festival.
Again, this doesn’t excuse anything that has happened subsequently or anything Israel did before either, but it’s not like we’re talking senior leadership here.
Soldiers in military bases along the border fence are not taking some R&R going to a music festival.
And if they are armed at the border of a region they siege, being 18 years old is not an excuse not to be considered a soldier.
Some of them were taking R&R, some were along the border fence.
When every single person in your country is required to be a soldier when they turn 18, I don’t think suggesting they’re fair game in a situation like what happened in October 7th.
If they’re actively fighting, that’s a different story. But they weren’t. The people sending them to war should be the targets considering they do not have a choice in the matter.
I assume you don’t blame Russian conscripts for the war in Ukraine despite that also involving genocide.
Every death is a tragedy, but combatants are “fair game” in an armed conflict. This does not mean to “blame” them for what brought them there.
And for the Russian conscripts i will still not count them as civilians killed, even though they are also on the short end of Putins madness.
There is a major difference between Russia and Israel though. The Russian conscripts rarely had a chance to escape Russia. Most Israelis have a second or even third nationality. Their families are there by choice, not by lack of options.
When every single person in your country is required to be a soldier when they turn 18,
Just because the state violently forces people to do awful things that doesn’t absolve the state from being awful. There are many people who resist. I know some. They’ve had to flee the state because the state and the society are so oppressive of decent people. It’s really gross to ignore the sacrifices of these brave people.
That is not fair. “Active duty IDF soldier” is everyone in Israel once they reach a certain age.
It’s completely fair to judge a fascist society by their fascism.
Do we excuse the nazis because many were indoctrinated as nazi youths? No of course not. It might give us some understanding and compassion but it’s a completely fair judgement to say it’s a sick society.