An Eye for an Eye?

38 ‘You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” 39But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; 40and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; 41and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. 42Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.                  Matthew 5:38-42 Concerning Retaliation   "That old law about 'an eye for an eye' leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing.”

Martin Luther King, Jr   A United Nations report released yesterday concludes that both Hamas and the IDF, the Israel Defense Force were guilty of war crimes during the 50-day conflict last summer in Gaza. Hamas indiscriminately fired rockets into Israel. Israeli forces used air strikes that killed more than a thousand civilians and destroyed infrastructure and many thousands of homes. Here is a single sentence from the report   “The fact that Israel did not revise its practice of airstrikes, even after their dire effects on civilians became apparent, raises questions of whether this was part of a broader policy which was at least tacitly approved at the highest level of government.”   This is such a reminder that extreme violence is a form of terror, whoever employs it, and that retaliation is futile. In the end the innocent suffer. Morality is also a casualty in these situations.   Jesus had it right.  Here is a worthwhile opinion piece from the New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/23/opinion/war-crimes-and-the-gaza-war.html   Thoughts?