This came up discussing the recent Israel-Lebanon 35-day war.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Israel-Lebanon_crisis
The war started during a Hezbollah cross-border raid, and shooting at IDF rescue force, resulting in death of eight and the kidnapping of two IDF soldiers.
Israel responded by invading Lebanon and bombing the country. When it was over,
Lebanon suffered 1,100 dead, mostly civlians. one-third children.
Israel suffered 150 dead, mostly military.
And the issue that came up was whether or not Israel's response of invading and bombing an entire nation, killing a thousand civilians and causign 2.5 billion dollars in damages to civilian infrastructure, is proportional to an attack on a single military unit.
The Geneva Convention on teh Rules of Warfare.
http://faculty.ed.umuc.edu/~nstanton/Ch2.htm#s4
Unnecessary Killing and Devastation
Particularly in the circumstances referred to in the preceding paragraph, loss of life and damage to property incidental to attacks must not be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage expected to be gained. Those who plan or decide upon an attack, therefore, must take all reasonable steps to ensure not only that the objectives are identified as military objectives or defended places within the meaning of the preceding paragraph but also that these objectives may be attacked without probable losses in lives and damage to property disproportionate to the military advantage anticipated.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5207478.stm
UN's Humanitarian Chief Jan Egeland has condemned the devastation caused by Israeli air strikes in Beirut, saying it is a violation of humanitarian law.
He said the "disproportionate response" by Israel was a "violation of international humanitarian law".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5197544.stm
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour said the "principle of proportionality" must be observed. "Similarly, the bombardment of sites with alleged military significance, but resulting invariably in the killing of innocent civilians, is unjustifiable."
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,209890,00.html
Amnesty International accuses Israel of War Crimes. "There is clear evidence of disproportionate and indiscriminate attacks."
http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2006/07/24/isrlpa13798.htm
Human Rights Watch alleges that the use of cluster munitions in populated areas violate the prohibition on indiscriminate attacks contained in international humanitarian law.
http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2006/07/13/287081-us-vetoes-un-condemnation-of-israel
The UN accuses Israel of a disproportionate use of force in lebanon.
10 Security Council nations voted in favor,
Britain, Denmark, Peru and Slovakia abstained,
US vetoed
Eight of the last nine vetoes in the council have been cast by the United States. Of those, seven concerned the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/UN/usvetoes.html
When the UN votes to condemn Israel for some action, the US often vetoes. Note in the far right column the vote tallies. There are 15 members of the security council. and the votes listed here are consistently 14-1 and 13-1, with the US vetoeing.
Some other notes:
the use of civilians to shield a combatant from attack is a war crime, but does not release the opposing party from its obligations towards the protection of the civilian population.
The fact that someone is wearing civlian clothes, fighting you from a civilian center, does not release you from the obligations of the rules of war. You cannot simply wipe out an entire civlian population to get the combatant hiding inside.
The UN and several organizations also condemned Hezbolla for violating the rules of warfare. But that does not give Israel a free pass to violate the rules as well. You are to follow teh rules of war, even if your enemy does not.
questions:
So, with all the organizations, human rights experts, and nations saying that Israel went over the line and violated the rules of war in bombing and invading Lebanon, and with the US government being really the only voice that says they didn't, the question is where is the truth?
Did Israel cross the line and violate the rules of war?
Is the rest of the world biased against Israel? Are they anti semite?
Is the US biased in favor of Israel?
to the point where war crimes are buried by US veto?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Israel-Lebanon_crisis
The war started during a Hezbollah cross-border raid, and shooting at IDF rescue force, resulting in death of eight and the kidnapping of two IDF soldiers.
Israel responded by invading Lebanon and bombing the country. When it was over,
Lebanon suffered 1,100 dead, mostly civlians. one-third children.
Israel suffered 150 dead, mostly military.
And the issue that came up was whether or not Israel's response of invading and bombing an entire nation, killing a thousand civilians and causign 2.5 billion dollars in damages to civilian infrastructure, is proportional to an attack on a single military unit.
The Geneva Convention on teh Rules of Warfare.
http://faculty.ed.umuc.edu/~nstanton/Ch2.htm#s4
Unnecessary Killing and Devastation
Particularly in the circumstances referred to in the preceding paragraph, loss of life and damage to property incidental to attacks must not be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage expected to be gained. Those who plan or decide upon an attack, therefore, must take all reasonable steps to ensure not only that the objectives are identified as military objectives or defended places within the meaning of the preceding paragraph but also that these objectives may be attacked without probable losses in lives and damage to property disproportionate to the military advantage anticipated.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5207478.stm
UN's Humanitarian Chief Jan Egeland has condemned the devastation caused by Israeli air strikes in Beirut, saying it is a violation of humanitarian law.
He said the "disproportionate response" by Israel was a "violation of international humanitarian law".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5197544.stm
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour said the "principle of proportionality" must be observed. "Similarly, the bombardment of sites with alleged military significance, but resulting invariably in the killing of innocent civilians, is unjustifiable."
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,209890,00.html
Amnesty International accuses Israel of War Crimes. "There is clear evidence of disproportionate and indiscriminate attacks."
http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2006/07/24/isrlpa13798.htm
Human Rights Watch alleges that the use of cluster munitions in populated areas violate the prohibition on indiscriminate attacks contained in international humanitarian law.
http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2006/07/13/287081-us-vetoes-un-condemnation-of-israel
The UN accuses Israel of a disproportionate use of force in lebanon.
10 Security Council nations voted in favor,
Britain, Denmark, Peru and Slovakia abstained,
US vetoed
Eight of the last nine vetoes in the council have been cast by the United States. Of those, seven concerned the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/UN/usvetoes.html
When the UN votes to condemn Israel for some action, the US often vetoes. Note in the far right column the vote tallies. There are 15 members of the security council. and the votes listed here are consistently 14-1 and 13-1, with the US vetoeing.
Some other notes:
the use of civilians to shield a combatant from attack is a war crime, but does not release the opposing party from its obligations towards the protection of the civilian population.
The fact that someone is wearing civlian clothes, fighting you from a civilian center, does not release you from the obligations of the rules of war. You cannot simply wipe out an entire civlian population to get the combatant hiding inside.
The UN and several organizations also condemned Hezbolla for violating the rules of warfare. But that does not give Israel a free pass to violate the rules as well. You are to follow teh rules of war, even if your enemy does not.
questions:
So, with all the organizations, human rights experts, and nations saying that Israel went over the line and violated the rules of war in bombing and invading Lebanon, and with the US government being really the only voice that says they didn't, the question is where is the truth?
Did Israel cross the line and violate the rules of war?
Is the rest of the world biased against Israel? Are they anti semite?
Is the US biased in favor of Israel?
to the point where war crimes are buried by US veto?
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