On October 7th, the United States and Great Britain launched an attack against the Al-Qaeda terrorist network of Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. "Today we focus on Afghanistan," President Bush said, "but the battle is broader." The President repeated our objective in fighting the war in Afghanistan: to root out terrorists and to defeat those who support them.

REACTIONS AROUND THE WORLD U.S. allies have voiced strong support for the air strikes in Afghanistan, but Muslim leaders are growing increasingly critical. "We are not at all happy with the situation," said Saudi Arabian officials. "We wish the United States had been able to flush out the terrorists in Afghanistan without resorting to the current action... because this is killing innocent people."

IS THE WAR ON TERRORISM A JUST WAR? Because warfare takes human lives, it is essential that there be a just and righteous reason for waging it. The Jewish perspectives on when and how to fight a war can be helpful in thinking about the U.S. response to terrorism. WAR IN THE

JEWISH TRADITION At the core of Jewish tradition is the belief in the sanctity of life. We are created in God's image and are taught that, "One who spills blood is as if that person has diminished the Divine Image" (Mekhilta Shemot 20:13). But Judaism does not preach pacifism. Torah commentators outlined two categories of warfare: milhemet mitzvah (a required war) and milhemet reshut (a voluntary war). Voluntary wars were waged to acquire land, power, or wealth. The king could declare them, but voluntary wars had to be supported by the Sanhedrin, which was the highest legal and religious authority in Jewish life. A required war, on the other hand, did not require any approval, and was considered important enough to require the participation of every citizen (Mishnah, Sotah 8:7). A war of self-defense is one of the types of required wars. Self-defense may include not only a response to an attack but also a pre-emptive strike (striking enemies before they can attack you). Medieval commentators on the Talmud (Sotah 44b) debate whether preventive attacks should also be considered a required war or a voluntary one. The Torah also contains rules to protect the moral character of soldiers in combat. By its nature, war forces soldiers to be cruel and ferocious. However, the destructive tendencies that are kindled during battle must be controlled. The Bible prohibits even the unnecessary destruction of fruit trees near a besieged city (Devarim 20:19). Rabbi Moshe Alshekh, a 16th century commentator, reasons that if the Torah demands that soldiers refrain from destroying trees, the prohibition certainly extends to unnecessary harm to civilians.

THE CURRENT SITUATION We've seen the attack on the World Trade Center. We've seen Osama bin Laden praise the death of innocents and threaten more terrorism. The U.S. is responding with an all-out effort: military, diplomatic, and financial, to defeat terrorism and the nations that harbor terrorists. We may not be able to measure every action of the U.S. military campaign against a specific Jewish law. However, by understanding the Jewish values discussed here, the obligation of self-defense and the prohibition against hurting innocent bystanders, we can continuously evaluate the justice of the war on terrorism.