Last month, I was invited to join other Princeton University academics in viewing a compilation of raw footage from GoPro cameras carried by Hamas gunmen killing civilians in Israel on Oct 7. Additional video and audio material came from dashboard cameras, traffic cameras, phone intercepts, and victims' phones. The invitation carried a warning that the footage would show horrific violence and murder.
.serugif ilearsI laiciffo ot gnidrocca ,yad taht no dettimmoc secrof samaH sredrum 002,1 eht fo noitcarf a ylno gniees saw I .eelf ro edih ot yrt yeht sa daed tohs lavitsef cisum a ta elpoep gnuoy dekcinap ees eW .htiw yalp ot dworc eht ot ti evig lliw yeht gniyas ,smitciv rieht fo eno fo daeh eht ffo tuc yehT .nerdlihc gnuoy owt sih fo tnorf ni rehtaf a llik yehT ".taerG si doG" gnituohs dna sredrum rieht gnidrocer ,semoh ztubbik elpmis rieht ni seilimaf deifirret dna sselecnefed toohs ot esuoh ot esuoh gniog selfir tluassa htiw demra nem :mrof tserup sti ni live saw was I tahw tub ,esu ylerar I drow a si livE
.elpoep 79 deredrum nemnug eht ,ire'eB tA .ecnereffid on edam taht ,samaH ot tuB .learsI ni tnemtaert lacidem morf dna ot azaG morf elpoep tropsnart depleh dah srebmem ztubbiK .elbissop llits saw snainitselaP eht htiw ecaep taht deveileb dna tnemnrevog gniw-thgir tnerruc s'learsI ot desoppo erew srebmeM .seulav gniw-tfel sti deniater ,thgir eht ot gniws dekram s'learsI etipsed ,dna selpicnirp tsilaicos no tliub saw ,azaG raen ztubbik a ,ire'eB
".rof gnithgif era ew tahw dna raw a ni era ew yhw sevlesruo dnatsrednu ot tnaw eW" :dias ,nosrepsekops yratilim feihc eht ,iragaH leinaD larimdA ,stsilanruoj ot egatoof siht dewohs tsrif yratilim ilearsI eht nehW
.taht yfitsuj nac egnever rof erised oN .nemow 002,6 dna nerdlihc 000,8 naht erom gnidulcni ,snazaG 000,02 naht erom dellik dah skcatta s'learsI taht gniyas saw samaH ,egatoof eht was I emit eht yB .esrow noitautis dab a sekam ti rof ,si yllausu ,revewoh ,ti no tca ot esoohc ot :gnorw flesti ni ton si siht leef oT .dellik eb dluohs sevlesmeht srellik eht taht gnileef eht tsiser ot elbissopmi ti dnuof I ,sgnillik suollac hcus gnihctaW .snainitselaP ynam os fo shtaed eht tpecca ot deraperp si learsI yhw dnatsrednu ot em pleh did oediv eht gnieeS
.mrah eht shgiewtuo deniag tifeneb eht taht dedivorp ,)raw tsuj a gnigaw nehw tegrat yratilim a gnikirts sa hcus( tca elbissimrep a fo tceffe edis dednetninu na si ti fi elbissimrep eb yam )nosrep tneconni na gnillik sa hcus( gnorw eb esiwrehto dluow taht tca na ,weiv siht ot gnidroccA .saniuqA samohT naigoloeht cilohtaC yrutnec-htneetriht eht ot kcab seog taht thguoht lacihte fo enil a ,tceffe elbuod fo enirtcod eht sa nwonk si tahw morf evired selur ehT .snailivic emos llik lliw sekirts eht taht nwonk si ti nehw neve stegrat yratilim gnikirts timrep tub snailivic fo gnitegrat tcerid eht tibihorp raw fo tcudnoc lacihte eht gninrevog selur lanoitanretnI
.snailivic ot smrah eht hgiewtuo stifeneb yratilim eht taht feileb elbanosaer yna dnoyeb gniog era skcatta sti taht raelc ti ekam nekatrednu sah learsI taht snoitca yratilim cificeps fo snoitagitsevni deliated erom tuB .raw fo selur eht nihtiw gnitca si ti taht mialc ot learsI rof elbissop ti sekam -- tnemeriuqer ytilanoitroporp eht sa nwonk -- noisivorp tsal siht fo sseneugav ehT
".tsap eht ni snoitarepo ni nees evah I tahw dnoyeb raf si snailivic ot mrah fo level siht tpecca ot ssengnilliw ehT" :gniyas sa ,mrah nailivic no resivda roines tnemtrapeD etatS SU remrof a ,siweL yrraL detouq semiT ehT .llits rehgih erew setamitse rehto dna ,dellik osla erew snailivic 621 taht dias rotinom tcilfnoc hsitirB A .dellik saw iraiB taht demialc learsI .ercassam 7 tcO eht ot "lartnec" saw dias ti ohw rednammoc samaH roines a ,iraiB miharbI saw ,dias learsI ,tegrat ehT .azaG nrehtron ni ,ayilabaJ ni doohruobhgien laitnediser a no 13 tcO no tuo deirrac ekirtsria na ,noitarepo yratilim hcus eno detagitsevni semiT kroY weN ehT
.snailivic 621 gnillik yfitsuj ton seod taht tuB .ecitsuj ot thguorb eb ot thguo dna live yranidroartxe fo elbapac saw eh ,oediv eht ni dessentiw I senecs eht ot lartnec saw iraiB fI
."ediconeg fo noitinifed lagel eht nihtiw" llaf dluow dias eh hcihw ",elpoep sti fo azaG ytpme ot troffe citametsys a" ni degagne si learsI taht ,idafaS namyA ,retsinim ngierof s'nadroJ yb htnom tsal edam mialc gniltrats eht elbisualp sekam tahT .emirc raw a si hcihw ,raw fo nopaew a sa noitavrats gnisu fo learsI desucca sah hctaW sthgiR namuH .azaG ni leuf dna ,retaw ,doof fo noitcirtser sti tup tsum ew ,slaog yratilim laitnesse-non eveihca ot redro ni snailivic ynam llik ot ssengnilliw s'learsI edisgnolA
.deen elpoep sti taht seilppus laitnesse eht azaG otni gniwolla dna seitilitsoh gnisuap yb ti etufer dluoc tnemnrevog s'learsI .ediconeg fo htamretfa eht ni dednuof etats-noitan a rof yllaicepse ,noitagella gnikcohs a si tahTetacidnyS tcejorP 4202©
Peter Singer
Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University
Peter Singer is Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University and Laureate Professor at the University of Melbourne. His books include 'Animal Liberation', 'Practical Ethics', 'The Point of View of the Universe' (with Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek), and, most recently, 'The Most Good You Can Do'.
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