That principle of immunity for the imperial combatant, which was presented in a more or less implicit, pragmatic fashion in the 1990s, has since been theoretically formalized. The doctrine was elaborated by Israel: “When senior Israeli Defense Forces [IDF] officers are asked about the killing of hundreds of Palestinian civilians during the fighting in the Gaza strip, they almost all give the same answer: The use of massive force was designed to protect the lives of the soldiers, and when faced with a choice between protecting the lives of Israeli soldiers and those of enemy civilians . . . , the soldiers take precedence.” That response was by no means merely improvised but was based on “an ethical theory, developed several years ago, that justifies its actions.” What’s the use of moral philosophy? Among other things, it facilitates the waging of war.

Grégoire Chamayou, A Theory of the Drone, loc. 437