Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a human rights activist, was protesting an illegal West Bank settlement when she was reportedly shot in the head by Israeli soldiers.
This kind of thing is entirely predictable and US citizens have been warned by the State Department about there being an active conflict happening in the area.
So a US citizen died while ignoring a travel advisory from the US government. US citizenship doesn’t make someone invincible, and it doesn’t mean the US military is going to avenge your death (or whatever fantasy you can come up with) if you’re deliberately ignoring the warnings about an area of the world being dangerous. The obligation of protecting citizens was fulfilled by issuing the warning.
There is no legal obligation to protect citizens. Is there an ethical obligation? Kind of no, for reasons you listed, but kind of yes, because the cause of death was predictable and it’s something in the US has partial control over.
From a practical standpoint, we all agree that the US won’t do anything, because they certainly aren’t worried about pacifists in war zones where one of the sides is getting its weapons from the United States.
Although there are a bunch of ways the US can apply pressure. I think people overestimate the power ceasing weapon sales would have. While I believe it is the ethically right thing to do. It wouldn’t really hinder Israel’s ability to wage this war. It is allowing them to maintain their very vast stockpiles. But they could probably go years without even getting low, much less running out, without external weapons.
Yeah a country has an ethical obligation to protect it’s citizens. Which is why countries issue travel advisories. If you ignore the warnings your country is giving you, that ethical obligation doesn’t apply because it was already fulfilled by the warning.
“Don’t go over there, it’s dangerous!”
“Screw you, I’m not listening to you!”
Problem happens.
“Why did you allow this dangerous thing to happen???”
They responded to this in the past: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/israel-west-bank-and-gaza-travel-advisory.html
This kind of thing is entirely predictable and US citizens have been warned by the State Department about there being an active conflict happening in the area.
So a US citizen died while ignoring a travel advisory from the US government. US citizenship doesn’t make someone invincible, and it doesn’t mean the US military is going to avenge your death (or whatever fantasy you can come up with) if you’re deliberately ignoring the warnings about an area of the world being dangerous. The obligation of protecting citizens was fulfilled by issuing the warning.
There is no legal obligation to protect citizens. Is there an ethical obligation? Kind of no, for reasons you listed, but kind of yes, because the cause of death was predictable and it’s something in the US has partial control over.
From a practical standpoint, we all agree that the US won’t do anything, because they certainly aren’t worried about pacifists in war zones where one of the sides is getting its weapons from the United States.
Although there are a bunch of ways the US can apply pressure. I think people overestimate the power ceasing weapon sales would have. While I believe it is the ethically right thing to do. It wouldn’t really hinder Israel’s ability to wage this war. It is allowing them to maintain their very vast stockpiles. But they could probably go years without even getting low, much less running out, without external weapons.
Yeah a country has an ethical obligation to protect it’s citizens. Which is why countries issue travel advisories. If you ignore the warnings your country is giving you, that ethical obligation doesn’t apply because it was already fulfilled by the warning.
“Don’t go over there, it’s dangerous!”
“Screw you, I’m not listening to you!”
Problem happens.
“Why did you allow this dangerous thing to happen???”