PRIOR to the Normandy invasion that would ultimately result in the liberation of France, and by extension Europe in 1945, the Allied bombing of France killed over 50,000 civilians.

In the Pacific, the little island of Iwo Jima was bombed extensively for weeks prior to the land invasion that would result in the loss of 7,000 American military lives.

The recent bombing of Palestine by Israel has been facing extensive criticism by most persons on planet earth, and understandably so, many of whom celebrate D-day every year.

This is a bit confusing, as the same tactic that was used by the Allies to free Europe from Nazi tyranny is the same technique being used by Israel. That being, you tell the civilian populace that you will be dropping bombs, you bomb the hell out of the place, you then invade with ground troops. This is the order of play in modern warfare.

It usually results in the death of civilians. It’s how wars have been fought since World War II, and not by the Chinese, Russians and Iranians alone. They likely will not give warning.

It’s bloody and ugly, it’s hard to look on, but bombing is the way of modern warfare and has been for over 70 years.

Why though?

Well, largely to protect the lives of the soldiers who will participate in the land invasion. It works well, though it didn’t work in Iwo Jima largely because the Japanese were in the island and not on the island.

A highly developed tunnelling network had been created below the island encases by volcanic rocks. This resulted in a five-day battle lasting five weeks and the aforementioned casualties of US Marines.

So why does Israel need to conduct a ground invasion of Palestine?

Well, largely because Hamas is launching bombs into Israel from Palestine, more specifically Gaza.

To prevent this they will have to occupy the space that the terrorists are launching from. This is in a nutshell what is happening. It is horrible, but again, that’s how wars are fought.

I wish there was another way but this is really the only way to ensure soldiers don’t die by the tens of thousands.

I understand the ‘why’ it occurs but at the end of the day too many normal, innocent persons die or are maimed by the bombing.

Some say they can’t flee because there are no routes to leave. Some say they can’t leave because Hamas, who are doubling as the democratically elected Government and a terrorist movement, will prevent them.

Either way, innocent persons are dying and it’s time that the Israelis and the Palestinians begin approaching this dispute in a manner that minimises innocent persons’ lives — whether they are at a festival in Israel or an apartment complex in Palestine.

Wars are fought in particular ways because it is necessary to do it that way.

Countries in civil conflicts — whether it is drug cartels in Colombia, or terrorism, or organised criminal gangs that challenge governmental control — they are also fought in a particular way.

These methods differ from how countries fight normal crime. Normal crime is what countries which have homicide statistics of up to 12 per 100,000 experience.

Countries like Colombia and El Salvador that have experienced the above narrative of gangs that can oppose a government, use interment acts.

Countries which have a history of conflict, extreme poverty, and a history of acrimony with other countries — like Cuba — also use interment Acts.

Countries like Taiwan and Singapore who are under threat from other countries, also use interment Acts. Taiwan has been awaiting a Chinese invasion for seven decades and Malaysia was a very real threat to Singapore for years.

So I say to all who criticise me for my constant insistence on an Interment Act, why do you think Jamaica is any better than the countries I mentioned earlier?

We are poor, have a history of conflict financed by other countries, have organised criminal gangs, and have a murder rate of nearly 50 per 100,000.

Why do you think we are going to accomplish victory against these gangs if other countries in similar conflict have had to rely an interment Acts?

We are not the U bird; they have a murder rate of five per 100,000. We are not England; they have a murder rate of one per 100,000.

We are a poor Caribbean country that was militarised by foreign powers in the seventies, which then created a culture.

We have heavily armed street gangs who impact our electoral process. We have abject poverty creating a platform for gang growth.

Our murder rate is 50 times more than Britain and 10 times more than the USA so please stop comparing apples to oak trees and accept that interment Acts are the way that these wars are fought, whether we like it or not.