That these pundits denounced a small democratic country for employing targeted air strikes to defend its citizens… was bad enough. That they did so while pretending to be neutral—and even, God forbid, Christ-like—was appalling.

For proportionality to remain a helpful category in limiting the horrors of war, it needs to remain a calculation of costs against effects—measuring the goods to be achieved by two measures of harms, including that which will be likely done if force is not used,

In this week’s episode, the editors cover recent content, including on the Israel-Palestine conflict, the Good Samaritan, and LGBT rights.

Philos Project Robert Nicholson explains the current crisis between Hamas and Israel.

Palestine’s regional Arab allies, not Israel, should lead efforts to secure vaccines for the Palestinian population. The current crisis presents an opportunity for Arab countries to build goodwill internationally and support the Palestinian people by providing vaccines to the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The normalization between the Arabs and Israelis diminishes Turkey’s role as the chief mediator between Israel and the Muslim world, so Erdogan’s anguish probably comes from fear of an “Arab option.”

The Christmas story doesn’t tell us how to reconcile the virtues and the vices of universal cosmopolitanism and local loyalty. But it suggests that we can somehow try to be true to both ideals: to be loyal members of our nations, our families, our tribes—and at the same time to reach out to the broader human community of which we are also a part.

Joe Biden is eager to roll back Trump-era policies, but he’d be wise to continue championing the Arab-Israeli peace movement that swept the region in 2020. If he plays his cards right, he could add new Arab states to the list and maybe even get Palestinians to the party as well.

The majority of Lebanese would welcome a peaceful settlement of pending border issues with Israel. But many understandably fear how the negotiations are unfolding.