After centuries of military powerlessness, Jews in the twentieth century began to ask themselves fundamental questions of military ethics. Wars -- including current conflicts in Israel -- are inherently brutal. How, then, should Jews respond to Arab terror attacks before they had an army to protect them? What does Judaism say about the bombing of Dresden, the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, or rebelling against British control of the land of Israel? Is "land for peace" a moral option? What about preemptive attacks in 1967 or after 9/11? Can we fight terrorists in urban settings while protecting our soldiers, avoiding non-combatants, and preserving our public image? Ethics of our Fighters tells the story of these political dilemmas and moral debates. It draws from the pivotal historical moments of the last one hundred years to weave together the most important ideas of contemporary ethicists with the insights of the greatest rabbinic scholars. This book systematically presents, for the first time, a holistically Jewish perspective on military ethics. -- Back cover.

Part I.Judaism confronts war. World War I and the false promise of pacifism ; Total war, religious fundamentalism, and the ghosts of Canaan ; The League of Nations and the dashed hope of international law ; Reprisal killings, "purity of arms", and the 1936-1939 Arab riots ; Supreme emergencies and the ethical imperative of survival, 1938 ; Must Jews fight with higher moral standards? The debate over Kibiyeh ; Moral standards: ethics or conventions? ; The Jewish multivalue framework for military ethics ; The bombing of Dresden -- Part II. The ethics of going to war: from WWII to Israel's independence. World War II and the fight for self-defense and national honor ; Defending lives or honor? Masada, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and the probability of success ; The Etzel's rebellion and the dilemma over when to rebel ; Central war authority from King David to Ben-Gurion ; Self-determination through partition plans and Israel's war of independence -- Part III. Preemptive and preventative wars: Israeli warfare, 1956-1982. The War on Terror: preemptive or preventative war? ; Preemptive strikes: the cases of the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War ; The 1956 Sinai campaign: a moral "war of choice" ; The raid on Osiraq and the "Begin Doctrine" ; 1982 Operation Peace for Galilee and Israel's gravest moral failure -- Part IV. The ethics of fighting in war. As the war starts: sieges in Lebanon and the obligation to let people flee ; Once the war starts: shifting moral responsibilities in urban warfare ; Legitimate military targets: military necessity and discrimination in Gaza and Lebanon ; Proportionality and the great missed opportunity ; Justifying collateral damage in Serbia and the Middle East ; Public image and the "CNN Effect" in Qana ; Final thoughts on an uncertain ethical future.