Grim implications of adopting or condoning the phrase “by any means necessary”

On October 8, 2023, the University of Virginia chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP-UVA) issued a statement supporting the Hamas attacks against Israel, which included targeted attacks against civilians, rapes of women, killing of babies, and the kidnapping of civilians.  An October 11, 2023 news article contains a hypertext link to the text of the SJP-UVA statement, here. 

The SJP-UVA statement includes the following sentence: “Students for Justice in Palestine at UVA unequivocally supports Palestinian liberation and the right of colonized people everywhere to resist the occupation of their land by whatever means they deem necessary.”  (Italics added for emphasis).  The implications of the italicized words are grim and chilling, and warrant careful consideration because they have significance that extends far beyond the current controversy over the Hamas attacks on Israel.  This is especially important to consider because other groups have used similar language in support of the Hamas attacks.

A variation of the phrase “by whatever means necessary” is “by any means necessary.”  Those phrases are similar to phrases such as “All’s fair in love and war,” “anything goes,” and “no rules.”  Such phrases mean acting without regard to any constraints, limits, restraint, or consideration of others.

Applied to warfare, adoption of “by any means necessary” means no constraints or limits on combat operations — no rules of war; no obligation to abide by any international laws or international customs pertaining to warfare; no obligation to avoid harming or targeting  noncombatants; no limits or restraints on the types of weapons used; no limits on the type or scope of attacks; no limits or restrictions on how prisoners of war are treated — indeed no restriction on implementing a policy of “no quarter” (refusing to accept surrender, killing any combatant trying to surrender, and killing any combatant captured); no restriction or limit to committing wanton destruction and atrocities against enemy combatants and noncombatants.  Those who adopt or condone a position of “by any means necessary” are disregarding and spurning generations of diplomatic and political efforts to reduce and mitigate the scope and severity of warfare.  To accept or condone a position of “by any means necessary” with respect warfare is a barbaric and inhumane retrogression that would sanction the potential use of various types of war atrocities that have occurred during the long history of the human race.

Applied to politics, adoption of “by any means necessary” means no constraints or limits on political activities — no constraints or limits on how political campaigns are conducted; no constraints or limits on how political campaigns and activities are funded; no constraints or limits on dishonest or deceptive political advocacy; no constraints or limits on the use of intimidation or threats of force against political opponents or voters; no constraints or limits on efforts too corrupt or undermine the integrity of the voting process; No constraints or limits on ignoring or refusing to abide by the outcome of free and fair elections; no constraints to engage in politics within the limits of the law.

Aside from warfare and politics, adoption of “by any means necessary” would severely undermine the ability of any society, any country, any international order, and any personal or business relationship to exist and function in a civil, humane, or reasonable manner. Adoption of “by any means necessary” signals the willingness to accept: the absence of compassion or empathy; the end of any meaningful basis for trust, cooperation, negotiation, or compromise; ruthless ambition; cutthroat scheming; merciless behavior; and domination by the most ruthless and unscrupulous persons.

A person’s agreement with, or condonation of, the phrase “by any means necessary” (or any equivalent phrase) is a serious danger sign — regardless of whether the person is naive, whether the person is using words carelessly or thoughtlessly, or whether the person is cynical and ruthless.  If a significant number of people approve or condone actions and behavior based on that phrase (or any equivalent phrase), personal, social and business relationships, as well as politics and diplomacy will be in serious danger of degenerating into a dystopian morass of deceit and dissimulation, intimidation, manipulation, and the ruthless application and exploitation of any advantage or power.

Use of the phrase “by any means necessary” by SJP-UVA and other campus groups to indicate support of Hamas’ attacks on Israel reflects poorly on their ability to engage in critical thinking and serious moral reasoning.  It also indicates those groups fail to recognize — or are indifferent to — the moral, social, and political abyss to which acceptance or condonation of “by any means necessary” leads.  Anyone who purports to seek the achievement of justice or a just result while accepting the legitimacy of “by any means necessary” is embracing a concept that is fundamentally destructive of the necessary conditions for any meaningful justice or just results.