Holy Land Justice & Peace decries weaponization of 'just war'

By Lisa Zengarini

The Justice and Peace Commission of the Holy Land has decried the weaponization of the term “just war”  in the ongoing war waged by Israel in Gaza.  Recalling the true meaning of the centuries-old Magisterium of the Church on this issue as explained by the Catholic Catechism, the Commission strongly rejected the “just war” argument advanced by several political actors in Israel and abroad to legitimize the devastation and killing of civilians in response to Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7.

Neither Hamas' attacks nor Israel's indiscriminate response are a 'just war'

“This theory is being used in a way in which it was never intended: to justify the death of tens of thousands” of people,  the Catholic body said in a statement. “We cannot allow words like ‘just’ to be mobilized to justify what is unjust, cruel and devastating. We must argue for the integrity of language, because we remain convinced that true justice is still possible if we can hold fast to its promise”

“Neither the attacks by Hamas nor Israel’s devastating war in response satisfy the criteria for ‘just war’ according to Catholic Doctrine,” the Commission remarked.

Principles of distinction and proportionality not respected

According to the Catholic Doctrine, “Just wars must clearly differentiate between civilians and combatants.” However, this principle “has been ignored in this war by both sides with tragic results,” the statement said.

They must also employ a proportionate use of force, “which cannot easily be said of a war in which the Palestinian death toll is tens of thousands of people higher than that of Israel, and one in which a clear majority of the Palestinian casualties have been women and children”, the Commission deplored.

The Justice and Peace body particularly objected the claims of proportionality advanced by those who argue that the Palestinian lives lost in Israel’s relentless war against Hamas may save the lives of Israelis in the future: “In doing so,” it noted, “ they privilege the security of hypothetical people in the future over the lives of living and breathing human beings who are being killed every day.”

All wars are a 'defeat' and a 'deception'

Recalling Pope Francis’relentless appeals for an immediate ceasefire and the release of the Israeli hostages, the statement insisted that Israeli right to self-defence in the wake of the Hamas’ attack “must be guided by the principles of distinction and proportionality and comply with international humanitarian law.”

The Justice and Peace Commission further questioned the righteousness of any war, echoing Pope Francis' and St. John Paul II's  words that war is in fact always  “a defeat for humanity”, and even a “deception”.

The statement recalled that the “dubious” application of “just war” theory to modern conflicts, especially to those that have dragged on for decades, has provoked thinking that suggests “that ‘just’ wars might only exist in very rare cases”.

This, it remarked, is especially true in a context where modern arms are capable of causing death and destruction at unprecedented scale.

Peace and justice for all in the Holy Land

Concluding,  the statement reiterated the Church’s impassionate appeal for peace and justice for all, both Israelis and Palestinians, in the Holy Land:  “The time has come to end this conflict, to prevent its spread, threatening a world war, and to mobilize a language that opens new horizons.”