Photos from Israel

A dramatic photo essay by Rick Loomis in today's LA Times answers a question posed in the cover article: Are suicide attacks "A scourge upon innocents or a brutal equalizer in an unequal war?"

Those who don't buy into moral equivalency arguments will answer the former, and the photos make a compelling case for that, with powerful images of the aftermath of homicide bomber attacks. The repression and disruption of Palestinian life caused by Israeli security efforts may be significant, but the targets largely earned what hit them; that is clearly not the case with the bombings that initiate the security concerns. They target innocents. There is no moral equivalence.

Still, with journalistic objectivity, the photos show the resulting impact of Israeli force in surrounding Palestinian towns, and it's not pleasant. But the other photos, of the bombings are much more than simply "not pleasant." Several more essays in the series will follow; let's hope the LA Times can maintain objectivity.