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Prince William, of whom I generally think highly, has joined the chorus of those urging Israel to stand down:

In a statement on Tuesday released by Kensington Palace, Prince William said: “I remain deeply concerned about the terrible human cost of the conflict in the Middle East since the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7. Too many have been killed.

“I, like so many others, want to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible. There is a desperate need for increased humanitarian support to Gaza. It’s critical that aid gets in and the hostages are released. Sometimes it is only when faced with the sheer scale of human suffering that the importance of permanent peace is brought home. Even in the darkest hour, we must not succumb to the counsel of despair. I continue to cling to the hope that a brighter future can be found and I refuse to give up on that.”

I suppose I am in the minority in disagreeing with the statement that too many have been killed–if the reference is to Gazans. I think too many Israelis were killed, and otherwise abused, on October 7. And I think that Israel’s righteous response to the outrages of October 7 is far from over. Given that Hamas operatives are still fighting, and given that Hamas has not surrendered, it is evident that more fighting must be done. And fighting means killing.

To the extent that Gazan civilians are being killed, I would note first that there are no innocent civilians in Gaza. Further, civilian casualties are the inevitable consequence of starting a war. Gazans elected Hamas to rule over them, and they have, more or less unanimously, supported and collaborated with Hamas for years. Gazan “civilians” celebrated the outrages of October 7. But if you start a war, you have to be prepared to pay the price. Especially if you lose. What Israel is doing to end its conflict with Gaza is nothing compared to what the United States and our allies did to Germany and Japan to end World War II.

So let the fighting continue until Israel has secured a total and overwhelming victory.