Support for Hamas derives from the fashionable idea that power determines what is right and wrong.
When federal judges take the oath of office, they say: “I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich.” These words come from the Bible and reflect a key principle of justice in the American tradition, shaped by our Judeo-Christian heritage: Justice isn’t about power. Whether a party is right or wrong in a dispute doesn’t depend on that person’s identity and social station.
For a long time, Americans have stood by that idea, considering it obvious. A powerful person could be regarded as a good guy or a bad guy depending on how he amassed and used his power. A powerless person might be virtuous or evil depending on how he dealt with his circumstances.
No longer is it so obvious. For many Americans today, justice—often with the modifier “social” before it—is precisely about power. Rejecting the biblical ideal codified in the judicial oath, our academics, intelligentsia and public figures have embraced the idea that power tells you all you need to know about who is right and who is wrong. This is clear as some of our best and brightest side with the Hamas terrorists in their war against Israel.
Continue reading the entire piece here at The Wall Street Journal (paywall)
______________________
Judge Solomson serves on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Tal Fortgang is an adjunct fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a fellow at SAPIR: Ideas for a Thriving Jewish Future.
Photo by wildpixel/iStock
