Targetting Civilians Ethically

Absolving Israel of responsibility for it’s actions is one of the main activities for Israels apologists at IsraelForum. Here they promote views that deny Israels targetting of civilians is unethical (let alone a war cime!).

Hezbollah intentionally operates from within a civilian population, often from house terraces and mosque courts. Furthermore, most of the civilians used for these ends do so in full consent and thus they cross the line from non-combatant to combatant.

Any basis for such a claim? None whatsoever. Imagine if we were to apply the same standard to the illegal settlers in Gaza or the West Bank. There would never have been a terrorist attack, as they allowed the IDF to operate from within and near the settlements, and hence the settlers “cross the line from non-combatant to combatant”.

I think it will be a cold day in hell before we see the Forum fanatics suggest something like that. But then these arguments aren't meant to be statements of universally applicable principle, they’re just routine cynical apologetics served up in defence of Israel.

Its weakness is no excuse since it is a result of a conscious decision not to maintain a force that can enforce a rule. An attempt to force it to follow its duties is therefore not unreasonable. In view of this, a measured attack on infrastructure is not illegitimate, more so when it is known that Hezbollah makes use of this infrastructure (i.e transportation routes to the south) for its hostile operations; the only option is to attack these infrastructures in the required measure.

Of course. Hezbollah fighters use electricity and drive their cars on the road, therefore it’s OK to destroy vital civilian infrastructure.

I can’t recall such disgusting and stupid defence of war crimes for quite some time. But then, I haven’t been following Saddam Husseins defence lawyers’ arguments all that closely.

What next? Will Israel bomb hospitals where wounded Hezbollah fighters are being treated. And why not, they have already fired missiles at Red Cross ambulances.

And the same insane apologists will be out there explaining how it’s all OK.