In a striking critique from within Zionist intellectual circles, distinguished American political theorist Michael Walzer has denounced Israel’s military operations in Gaza as a “criminal effort” aimed at territorial conquest and population displacement. The author of the seminal work “Just and Unjust Wars,” whose writings form part of the curriculum at the US Military Academy at West Point, delivered his assessment in an extensive interview with Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
Walzer characterized Israel’s response to the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack as a “joint production” for which Israeli society bears collective responsibility. He identified what he described as a “crazed rhetorical response” among Israeli leadership following the initial trauma, with prominent figures advocating for revenge and indiscriminate violence against Palestinian civilians.
The political philosopher highlighted multiple moral failures in Israel’s conduct of the war, including the dissemination of social media videos featuring soldiers boasting about alleged war crimes. He identified the siege imposed on Gaza as the most serious ethical violation, noting its devastating impact on medical and nutritional conditions for civilians.
Current statistics reveal the human cost: over 71,271 Palestinian fatalities and 171,233 wounded since hostilities intensified. Israel has reportedly violated ceasefire agreements nearly 1,000 times since their implementation in early October.
The crisis has been exacerbated by Israel’s recent ban on 37 aid organizations, including Doctors Without Borders, which warned that hundreds of thousands would lose access to essential care if the restrictions take effect.
Walzer further condemned the treatment of Palestinian detainees, citing credible reports of systematic abuse, and described settler violence in the West Bank as having reached “pogrom” levels with security forces complicit through inaction. United Nations data records over 260 settler attacks in October alone—the highest monthly tally since monitoring began in 2006—resulting in the forced displacement of more than 3,200 Palestinians.
According to human rights organizations, Israeli forces have detained over 21,000 Palestinians from the West Bank in just over two years, with approximately 9,250 remaining imprisoned. Reports document widespread torture and ill-treatment, including sexual violence, with 32 detainees dying in custody in 2025 alone, bringing the total prisoner deaths since October 2023 to over 100.