Diplomacy vs. the Moral Calculus

The current Israeli/Palestinian conflict has already inflicted many casualties upon noncombatants. Many around the world have chosen sides.

Negotiated settlements are not much in vogue these days, so one expects many more noncombatant casualties. Great minds are already working out the moral calculus of body counts while diplomacy languishes. It is quicker and easier to use the moral calculus to justify actions than to use diplomacy.

Remaining neutral about which side to take might seem idiotic; however, one is tempted to do precisely that.