Spring Break
Israel has been unfairly criticzed for Gaza War tactics
Ben Tarr
Issue date: 1/23/09 Section: Commentary
In the latest war in the Gaza Strip, Israel has been harshly condemned by many human rights organizations for some of its actions in combat. For example, Amnesty International scolded Israel for allegedly making "deliberate attacks … against civilian property and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip." Yet, there is ample evidence to suggest that Hamas has used civilian property, such as ambulances and hospitals, in the past to further its violent agenda of destroying Israel.
On March 27, 2002, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) arrested Islam Jibril while he was working as a member of the Palestinian Red Crescent and driving an ambulance. He was caught with explosive devices attached to his belt, which he later confessed were intended to carry out a suicide attack against Israel.
A PBS report written on Jan. 13 quotes a Gaza doctor who wished to remain anonymous, claiming that Hamas is "hiding in a basement or in a separate underground area underneath the [Shifa] hospital." He added, "Hamas is aware that they are putting civilians in harm's way." One cannot blame Israel for bombing civilian infrastructure if the enemy is known to be using the facilities to their military advantage.
Another criticism of Israel is that their military strikes killed a high number of Palestinian civilians. Al-Jazeera notes that roughly 1,100 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza offensive, roughly half of whom were civilians. Yet, we must understand Hamas' fighting tactics to comprehend why the ratio of civilian deaths to total deaths is so high.
In a 2006 Israeli military offensive into Gaza, FOX News reported that the Israeli army found two Hamas gunmen in a Gaza mosque. With them were two Palestinian women who were part of a Hamas human shield to aid in their escape from Israeli bombing.
Fathi Hamad, member of the Hamas Council, gave a speech on Al-Aqsa TV on Feb. 29, 2008 urging that the Palestinian people "create a human shield of women, children [and] the elderly against the Zionist bombing machine." It is only logical that the civilian death toll will be high in any operation against Hamas due to their shameful tactic of using their own innocent population to protect them in war.
On March 27, 2002, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) arrested Islam Jibril while he was working as a member of the Palestinian Red Crescent and driving an ambulance. He was caught with explosive devices attached to his belt, which he later confessed were intended to carry out a suicide attack against Israel.
A PBS report written on Jan. 13 quotes a Gaza doctor who wished to remain anonymous, claiming that Hamas is "hiding in a basement or in a separate underground area underneath the [Shifa] hospital." He added, "Hamas is aware that they are putting civilians in harm's way." One cannot blame Israel for bombing civilian infrastructure if the enemy is known to be using the facilities to their military advantage.
Another criticism of Israel is that their military strikes killed a high number of Palestinian civilians. Al-Jazeera notes that roughly 1,100 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza offensive, roughly half of whom were civilians. Yet, we must understand Hamas' fighting tactics to comprehend why the ratio of civilian deaths to total deaths is so high.
In a 2006 Israeli military offensive into Gaza, FOX News reported that the Israeli army found two Hamas gunmen in a Gaza mosque. With them were two Palestinian women who were part of a Hamas human shield to aid in their escape from Israeli bombing.
Fathi Hamad, member of the Hamas Council, gave a speech on Al-Aqsa TV on Feb. 29, 2008 urging that the Palestinian people "create a human shield of women, children [and] the elderly against the Zionist bombing machine." It is only logical that the civilian death toll will be high in any operation against Hamas due to their shameful tactic of using their own innocent population to protect them in war.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
B. Hoffman
posted 1/23/09 @ 5:54 PM EST
Thank you for bringing to light the truths that various media sources have chosen to either hide or not check the accuracy of their resources.
Obamaniac
posted 1/23/09 @ 6:02 PM EST
Ben Tarr, you've been drinking the Kool-Aid of Dershowitz propaganda and it's unfortunate. You're a college student who should be open-minded, not simply touting the party line. (Continued…)
Kim O'Brien
posted 1/24/09 @ 2:00 PM EST
The Oldist Holyist of Holy maintain the largest prison in the known universe today and the Empire provides all the nessasary weapons for the prison guards. (Continued…)
Israel websites
posted 3/20/09 @ 5:30 PM EST
Unfortunately results of this operation against Gaza terrorists was not good enough. Israel should countinue attacking palestinian terrorists till they totally defeated. (Continued…)
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