Faced with an ongoing United Nations investigation of its winter military offensive in Gaza, the Israeli government has released an exhaustive defense of the three-week campaign to destabilize Hamas and bring an end to rocket attacks on southern Israel.
The 163-page report offers the most detailed Israeli defense of the controversial military campaign that ravaged parts of the Gaza Strip and ended with 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead.
For the first time, the Israeli government states (page 118) that is is looking into more than 100 cases of potential wrongdoing and details specific cases it is examining, including allegations that Israeli soldiers repeatedly used Palestinian civilians as human shields, allegations that Israeli soldiers killed Palestinian civilians carrying white flags and allegations that Israeli use of white phosphorus shells killed Palestinian civilians.
Israel said it is conducting 13 criminal investigations into allegations of looting and use of civilians as human shields.
The Israeli report (page 82) also details the military's rules-of-engagement in Gaza.
While some Israeli soldiers said they had broad leeway to use tough tactics and accused their military commanders of leading them into a "moral twilight zone," the analysis states that there were clear rules-of-engagement for Gaza.
According to the report, the Israeli military had four overarching rules:
1. Military Necessity: “An attack shall be permitted as long as it is necessary to achieve a
military purpose in the course of the military campaign,” subject to the other principles
and rules set forth.
2. Distinction: “Strikes shall be directed against military objectives and combatants only.
It is absolutely prohibited to intentionally strike civilians or civilian objects (in contrast
to incidental proportional harm).”
3. Proportionality: “A legitimate military objective may be attacked even if the strike
would cause incidental harm to civilians or civilian objectives, provided that the
expected harm to civilians or civilian objects, or a combination thereof, would not be
excessive in relation to the military advantage anticipated.”
4. Humanity: “When legitimate military target is attacked, superfluous suffering to enemy
combatants shall be avoided. In this context, only legal weapons, which were
approved by the relevant authorities within the IDF, shall be employed.”
The rules go on to state that:
Only military targets shall be attacked.
Any attack against civilian objectives shall be prohibited.
A 'civilian objective' is any objective which is not a military target. In case of doubt,
the forces are obliged to regard an object as civilian.
When a civilian objective is used by the enemy for a military activity it loses its
protection and immunity and becomes a legitimate military target. Nevertheless, when
striking such a target, special care shall be taken to adhere to the principle of
proportionality.
Using press reports and its own intelligence, the Israeli report also provides exhaustive details on Hamas use of civilian areas to stage attacks, use of mosques to store weapons, and booby trapped buildings.
The report also offers a strong defense of the military's decision to attack Gaza police compounds on the first day of the war, a surprise strike that killed scores of Palestinian police officers.
Human rights groups have questioned the attack on the police, with some arguing that the police were not legitimate targets.
But the Israeli report argues (page 89), that the police forces were made up of Hamas militants who also were prepared to fight Israel, making them legitimate targets.
Regarding the police, you failed to note that on pgs 94-95, the report says that 90.7% of the "civilian police" were found to be armed terrorists. Thus the "civilian police" was not only prepared to fight Israel, but was actually engaged in fighting.
Posted by: Ian | July 31, 2009 at 10:25 AM
war criminals must be punished
Posted by: samurah | July 31, 2009 at 05:11 PM
The problem here is not the UN tirade. That kind of crocodile tears is to be expected from that crowd of mental dwarfs. The real problem is why Israel thinks that charging up the same hill year after year is going to solve the problem. Israel is making the same mistake that the US made in Vietnam, we won every battle and lost the war. Israel will evently lose the war if it doesn't face up to the facts. It must find peace with the Arabs. One bomb and Israel would no longer exist. That bomb doesn't have to have been made in an arab country, nuclear arms are widespread and getting more so every year. You cannot bomb the reactor as you did in Iraq and Syria if the country is Russia or China or some other nuclear power. South Africa might have some nucs. We know North Korea, India and Pakistan have them. Even Iran will soon have some. The US congress has been bought by the Israeli lobby for weapons and money but that cannot continue forever, we will not be your shield much longer. So Israel you have one choice, change strategy or die as a dream and nation.
Posted by: mfellion | August 03, 2009 at 02:56 AM