This is Hear Me Out. I'm Celeste Hedley. The conversation about the conflict between Israel and Hamas remains heated, even as that situation changes by the day, sometimes by the hour. The moral contours of war are always complicated no matter what war you choose to focus on.

Who has an obligation to do what and not do what and to whom.

These are the questions international law has tried to answer of course and yet

they continue to be posed.

The vast majority of Americans are worried for the safety of the Israeli people,

and only a slightly smaller number are worried for Palestinians, but with such a clear imbalance of power

between the two players, is it controversial to suggest that they oppressed also have

ethical obligations even as they resist? We all have obligations not to kill,

torture, murder, lie, and those obligations don't cease when people are

oppressed.

Michael Walser, writer and Professor Emeritus at the Institute for Advanced Study joins us to debate who's a moral actor.

That's in just a moment.

Stay with us.

Welcome back to Hear Me Out. I'm Celeste Hedley. At the time we recorded this

episode Israel and Hamas were engaged in a days-long ceasefire and hostage

exchange. That ceasefire has since expired and firing has begun once again, although there were reports indicating the firing never

completely ceased from the start.

It has been a brutally violent conflict since it began with a

horrific terrorist attack carried out by Hamas in early October. A few weeks

ago we talked on the show about whether those who are not directly involved in this conflict

are morally obligated to pick aside and then post their views publicly.

Today we'll talk about the war again and once more think about the moral questions posed by the conflict.

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