Following the United Nations’ Human Rights Council decision to establish an inquiry into alleged human rights violations in Gaza the following information was released which clarifies Israel’s position.
Background
On 12 June 2014, the day Hamas terrorists abducted and murdered three Israeli teens in the Gush Etzion; Hamas resumed launching rockets from Gaza on Israeli cities. For three weeks Israel showed great restraint and repeatedly indicated its desire to avoid further escalation, but Hamas’ incessant missile attacks on Israeli communities continued, culminating in a barrage of 70 missiles fired on July 7th alone. Israel was left with no choice but to respond militarily to defend its civilian population.
In recent years, Hamas, designated as a terrorist organization around the world, including by the US, the EU and Canada, has invested heavily in a formidable terrorist infrastructure, including some 12,000 missiles capable of hitting most of Israel’s territory. It has also built dozens of attack tunnels to infiltrate Israel for the purpose of killing and kidnapping Israeli civilians.
The main objective of Operation Protective Edge is to restore quiet to Israel’s citizens. Israel’s right to defend itself has been widely recognized by the international community, including most recently by EU foreign ministers on July 22nd. Israel’s actions are intended solely to curtail Hamas’ terrorist capabilities in Gaza and do not target the people of Gaza in any way.
Israel’s Efforts to Protect Civilians
In this context, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has been doing its utmost to minimize harm to non-combatant civilians. The IDF strictly abides by the principles of international law, including the law of armed conflict, which calls inter alia to distinguish at all times between civilians and military forces, to take precautions to minimize civilian casualties, and to carefully consider the expected military gain of any action, weighed against potential collateral damage (the principle of proportionality).
Among the measures taken by the IDF to minimize the risk to Palestinian civilians are announcements about impending attacks in the form of phone calls, pamphlets and warning shots. In many cases missions have been aborted because civilians were identified dangerously close to the targets.
Moreover, Israel’s commitment to international law is guaranteed by its strong democratic institutions, including an active and responsive legislature, efficient law enforcement mechanisms and an independent judiciary.
Hamas’ Efforts to Harm and Endanger Civilians
Whereas Israel is conducting itself carefully so as not to harm civilians, Hamas acts in deliberate and flagrant violation of international law and with utter disregard for human life, whether Israeli or Palestinian. It has systematically been committing a double war crime, by deliberately targeting Israeli civilians while using the Palestinian civilian population for cover.
Indeed, Hamas appears to have perfected the “human shield” tactic, hiding weapons and terrorists in hospitals, schools, mosques and residential buildings. In at least two instances the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) found missiles hidden in its schools. Journalists have reported witnessing Hamas leaders hiding in Shefa Hospital. In addition, Hamas has urged and even forced civilians to ignore repeated warnings by the IDF to evacuate areas where fighting is taking place and to remain in those locations.
Fire and Cease-fire
Israel agreed to the Egyptian cease-fire proposal of July 15th; Hamas rejected it. Israel approved and honored two humanitarian breaks in the hostilities to ease the burden on the civilian population in Gaza and to allow the evacuation of injured civilians from combat areas;, Hamas rejected and violated these arrangements on both occasions.
Conclusion
For initiating and prolonging the hostilities, for its intentional and indiscriminate targeting of Israeli civilians and for deliberately putting Palestinian civilians in harm’s way, Hamas is solely responsible for civilian casualties on both sides of the Israel-Gaza fence.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
“For three weeks Israel showed great restraint” What? Have they forgotten the 14 years with thousands of these deadly rockets flying into Israel on innocent civilians?
The anti-Semitic world including the UN are too proud to admit that the Jews are unmistakably Hashem’s beloved children Who performed and is continuing to perform daily miracles for them when the rockets are fired into Israel.
This is what michael Bloomberg has to say about “proportional response”. This is from an interview with CNN as he flew to Israel yesterday.
“Let me just phrase it for you in something that will bring it home. If you are in your apartment and some emotionally disturbed person is banging on the door, screaming “I’m going to come through this door and kill you”, do you want us to respond with one police officer, which is proportional, or all the resources at our command? Just think about it in that context. There is no such thing as proportional response to terrorism. This is not a game we are playing by the Marquess of Queensbury rules. People’s lives are at risk, and the fact of the matter is that since the Israeli’s pulled out of Gaza in 2005, Hamas, rather than trying to build up Gaza, has tried to destroy Israel for their own political purposes. Hamas is a wholly owned subsidiary of Iran, and they are trying to every day kill innocent civilians in the streets by sending rockets, randomly overhead, just trying to kill as many people who happen to be in the way.”
Moderators Response: Bloomberg said this in the last war.