RUTHFULLY YOURS

https://newsblaze.com/world/israel/jerusalemcares-why-israels-fight-is-everyones-fight_207237/

A soldier of two nations — and one moral mission, to shine the light on the state of Israel. #JerusalemCares

What does it mean to fight for freedom? For most Americans, it’s a matter of principle. For Mark Hardie, it became a matter of service — twice. Long Beach, Southern California native, Mark wore the uniform of both the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the United States Army.

Mark, a convert to Judaism, risked his life for two homelands united by shared democratic values.

In a time when Israel is often reduced to headlines and hashtags, Mark’s journey reminds us that support for the Jewish state is not merely a Jewish issue — it is a human one. It is about defending democracy, human rights, and the dignity of all people against extremism and terror.

The Unexpected Path To Israel

Mark’s path began in California politics — serving as a staff attorney for Governor Pete Wilson and later as a special assistant to Senator Barbara Boxer. But in 1995, he took upon himself a new life commitment by converting to Judaism.

When Israel’s security came under threat in the early 2000s, Mark made an extraordinary decision — to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

While serving in the IDF ranks Mark became fully aware that he is serving with what is nowadays known as “the world’s most moral army.” He served with soldiers who were always mindful of human rights, even on the front line while their mission was to protect life, not take it needlessly.

Mark Hardie is almost certainly the first African American Jew to have served in the IDF.

As an IDF soldier he was treated “like a celebrity,” he recalls. He was featured in a local newspaper article, the IDF spokesperson’s department arranged for him to appear on shows and his comrades were forever curious to know about American celebrities, e.g., singer Michael Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, basketball star Michael Jordan.

The attention Mark received brought about the idea to call himself a “diplomat of peace,” proving that strength and compassion are not opposites but partners.

https://www.manhattancontrarian.com/blog/2025-8-24-no-there-is-not-a-genocide-in-gaza

The accusation that Israel is committing a “genocide” in Gaza has become pervasive on the Left, and particularly in academia. I think that the accusation is absurd, so much so that until now I haven’t thought it worthy of a response. However, the accusation has recently arrived on my own website. In the comment thread on the prior post, one of the commenters (regular readers can guess who) has leveled against President Trump the charge that he “is sending weapons to Israel for the genocide in Gaza.” Really? It’s time for a response.

In my opinion, what’s going on in Gaza is not a genocide, but a war. Deaths in war are not a genocide. On October 7, 2023, the governing entity of Gaza, Hamas, conducted an unprovoked attack on Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people, and taking some 250 hostages. Israel has responded with a military action. This is a classic war. The norm in war is that the parties fight until one of the parties surrenders, or there is an armistice. When the parties are fighting, the whole idea is to kill as many of the enemy as possible. Hamas could end the war by surrendering. It has not done so. Moreover, it continues to hold hostages. Therefore, the normal expectation of war would be that Israel will continue to kill as many of the enemy as possible until there is a surrender.

You may disagree with my characterization that the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel was “unprovoked.” It doesn’t matter. Assume that the attack was provoked. This is still a war. In war, it is entirely the norm that a party that has been attacked tries to kill as many of the enemy as it can until the enemy surrenders.

Is there any other example of the term “genocide” being applied to a full-scale military response to an armed attack by an enemy state actor that has not surrendered? If there is, I don’t know of it.

Consider, for example, the Russia/Ukraine war. In this case I would say that Russia’s attack and invasion were unprovoked. The Russian version of events of course differs, and accuses the Ukrainians of provocations that caused the conflict. But again, even if Russia’s invasion was completely unprovoked, the conflict is still a war between enemy state actors, where neither has surrendered. Unlike Israel, which makes extensive efforts to minimize civilian casualties, Russia regularly sends drones to bomb civilian targets and residential buildings in Ukrainian cities. But does anyone call Russia’s conduct toward Ukraine a “genocide”? Not that I’ve seen. Contrast this with the conduct of the Soviet Union toward Ukraine in the 1930s, when it imposed an intentional famine in which millions of innocents starved to death. There was no war going on; Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. That was a genocide.