In antiquity there were no rules governing violence in war. There was no moral compass or legal distinction between killing or murdering, in war. The Massacre of whole communities of innocents was commonplace. Murder is defined as the intentional and unlawful killing of another person without any justifiable reason or legitimate cause. Mass murder is the act of killing a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in proximity. A mass murder typically occurs in a single location where one or more persons kill several others.
Barbarism is defined as savage murder that is inhumane, uncivilized and excessively brutal and that is implemented without mercy or remorse.
One could say albeit with tongue-in-cheek that ‘more humane times now prevail’, because we have categorically banned rape and murder in war. We have set rules to govern genocide and barbarism in modern warfare. We now conveniently call murder and barbarism, war crimes, or crimes against humanity. But murder, mass murder and rape in war is still occurring in the 20th and the 21st Centuries.
One would think that human civilization would have evolved by now to the point of realizing that violence only begets more violence. But sadly, such is not the case. In fact, it appears we are returning to the times of barbarism.
We continue to tolerate violence as a means to settle differences. In fact, we have legitimized violence in war by establishing that killing in war should be governed by laws (also known as the laws of war). The laws of war permit the use of lethal force against enemy combatants, as long as it is “proportionate to the military objective and follows the rules set forth by international treaties and conventions”.
But these laws are a false construct because there are no universally-accepted or even reliable mechanisms to enforce the laws that govern war, except, perhaps, in cases of genocide. But even when the evidence of genocide is irrefutable, the leaders of nation states who commit genocide and other war crimes more often than not go unpunished.
The concept of murder in war is less clear-cut due to the different ethical considerations surrounding armed conflict. While intentionally killing enemy combatants in war is still generally considered ‘acceptable’ under the so-called “rules of engagement”, intentionally targeting civilians or committing acts of extreme violence outside the scope of military necessity are considered morally reprehensible.
For example, Israeli forces have KILLED thousands of innocent non-combatants so far in their war in Gaza. Among those KILLED are thousands of children, including babies. Although Israel has the right to defend itself against unprovoked attacks, including dealing with thousands of rocket attacks aimed at civilians, it is legitimate to question whether the extent of the Israeli military retaliation against the actions of Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023 is proportionate to the military objective and follows the rules set forth by international treaties and conventions proportionate to the military objectives.
What I can say, though, without hesitation or doubt and based on the definition of what is murder and what is barbarism and what is not, is that a few dozen Hamas militant terrorists committed indiscriminate MASS MURDER AND RAPE in the most heinous and barbaric manner humanly possible on October 7, 2023. It is a day that will live in infamy, no doubt. Another nadir in the history of mankind. Not only because of the numbers of people murdered in cold blood but how they were savaged. The barbaric nature of the rapes and the murders, accompanied by invocations of the ‘greatness of their god’ and with a glee and satisfaction that boggles the human mind.
In conclusion, the moral and legal differences between KILLING AND MURDER are self evident. Murder is defined by the context, intent, and lack of justification for taking another person’s life – whether it is through legitimate combat, or not, it is an intentional act of violence and unlawful under any circumstance. But what Hamas operatives committed on October 7, 2023 went far beyond cold-blooded murder, cold blooded mass murder, it was pure BARBARISM, plain and simple.
