Civilian Casualties

Avoid civilian casualties. A humanitarian principle enshrined in the Geneva Convention. The international community is calling upon Israel, Hezbollah and Hamas to avoid civilian casualties. In truth, however, these requests are really addressed to Israel. It has the overwhelming military advantage; dozens of Israelis have been killed as opposed to over hundreds of
(Hezbollah firing rockets in civilian area)
Lebanese. But is it really Israel that should be addressed?

Constant reference is made to the refugees in Lebanon, but three hundred thousand Israelis have evacuated their homes. In Northern Israel there are bomb shelters for one million people living within range of the katyusha rockets. In Lebanon, however, there are no shelters. While bringing in more than 10,000 missiles, Hezbollah also built military bunkers, but not a single shelter for civilians.

Israel keeps military installations as far from civilians as is possible. Hezbollah purposely places military equipment and bases in civilian areas, in apartment buildings, next to stores, schools and hospitals. According to Canadian Major General Lewis Mackenzie, who was interviewed recently on CBC Toronto Radio, a former soldier of his who was stationed at the UN base hit by Israeli fire sent an email that indicated Hezbollah fighters were “all over his position.” Hezbollah not only uses civilians as shields but UN peacekeepers.

Israel also tries to avoid killing Lebanese civilian. It is hard to hit 10 and 12-foot missiles, launch sites and weapons storage areas that are next to peoples homes or in the same buildings without also causing damage to surrounding areas Israel uses radio and drops leaflets warning civilians to leave before air strike. Openly Hezbollah and Hamas purposely target Israeli civilian areas and celebrate when Israelis are killed. Israeli casualties are much lower because Israel protects its citizens. Destruction in Israel has been high; though few of those pictures are seen in the press and T.V.

Far from using all its firepower, Israel carefully targets military sites, avoiding civilian areas as best it can. However, when missiles are placed in civilian buildings, there will be casualties. If Israel were purposely targeting civilians, as does Hezbollah, the casualties would be greater.

Israeli soldiers go from building to building, from room to room to flush out terrorists. Many of these buildings and rooms are booby-trapped; Israeli soldiers have been killed trying to avoid killing Lebanese civilians.

Knowing they cannot destroy Israel militarily, Hezbollah and Hamas create civilian casualties on both sides. When Hezbollah kills Israelis citizens they are heroes to many Muslims. The world is far less critical of them because even though Israeli civilians are deliberately targeted, the number of Lebanese causalities is higher.

The deaths of Lebanese civilians are part of Hezbollah’s strategy. On Wednesday, both the Lebanese Health Ministry and the Human Rights Watch said that they could confirm only 28 of the originally reported 57 civilians who died in the building in Kana. Why would claims of the number of killed be doubled? When Lebanese or Palestinians civilians are killed, they “win” a propaganda victory by making Israel look bad and garner Arab support. The Geneva Convention, which forbids acts or threats of violence against innocent civilians, also forbids civilians from being used as human shields, a fact rarely mentioned.

However hundreds of Lebanese civilians have been killed including women and children. So is Israel to blame? Professor Alan Dershowitz of Harvard Law schools makes a comparison to criminal law. When an armed criminal uses a human shield and law enforcement officers accidentally kill the hostage, it is the criminal that is guilty of murder. Hezbollah and Hamas use civilians as human shields is the moral equivalent and so they bear the blame for civilian deaths. HumanRightsWatch.com which is highly critical of Israel, point out, …it is also generally forbidden to direct attacks against what are called “civilian objects,” such as homes and apartments, places of worship, hospitals, schools or cultural monuments, unless they are being used for military purposes. This is why it is inaccurate to call on “all parties” to avoid civilian casualties. Israeli is already doing so. Hezbollah and Hamas are intent on creating civilian casualties, among Israelis and unbelievably, among their own people.

The term “innocent civilian” needs to be examined. If civilians willing live near a military target in order to shield it from destruction, are they really innocent?

Critics of Israel dent they are anti-Semitic. Natan Sharansky, the former prisoner of conscious wrote one way to establish whether or not something is anti-Semitic is to determine if the standard by which Israel is criticized is applied to all nations. If that standard is applied to other nations, then it is not anti-Semitic. Is there any country when attacked is not allowed to fight back with all the resources necessary to stop the attack? It is sad that 100 Muslims are now being killed a day in Iraq and the Arab and Muslim world do not seem angered about it. Nor do they protest the deaths of 400,000 African Muslims who have died in Darfur, the Western province of Sudan as a result of the military actions of the Arab Muslims from the northern part of Sudan. It is beyond hypocritical for Russian President Putin to lecture Israel on “proportionality” when his troops have massacred Chechnyan. It is equally hypocritical for China, which has occupied Tibet for 50 years and killed nearly a million Tibetans to judge Israel. Have there been calls by the international community for these countries to stop the killing of civilians, to use restraint when operating in civilian areas or be proportionate in the use of force? Has the Security Council worked feverishly to vote for a cease-fire? Certainly Israel is held to a different standard than other countries.

Critics of Israel reject the charge of anti-Semitism by pointing to the fact that some Israelis themselves are at times highly critical of their own government? In a democracy, citizens are responsible for their government and so some Israelis may demand their own government use a different standard than other nations. The rest of the world may not demand Israel maintain a higher standard. Israel should be judged by the same standards as all nations, which is not the case. Hezbollah should also be judged by the same standards, but it is not the case.

It is amazing to note that other Arab governments are critical of Hezbollah. I cannot recall ever hearing an Arab government condemning Muslims for killing Israelis. Ever. Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia are concerned that Hezbollah is a tool of Iran in its quest for dominance in the Middle East and recognize the instability Tehran creates is a danger for the entire region.

Is the international community using a double standard when it comes to Israel? Clearly the actions of Hezbollah and Hamas are designed to cause civilian causalities on both sides in violation of international law, yet they are not held accountable or accused of war crimes. They have no honor or sense of morality. In other parts of the world where civilian casualties are far higher, criticism is at best muted. Israel protects her own citizens and tries to minimize Lebanese civilian casualties yet is denounced worldwide. It is time to tell the real perpetrators of civilian deaths, Hamas and Hezbollah, that they must stop the blood shed. It its time to tell the critics of Israel to stop using different standards for Israel as opposed to the rest of the world. To demand Israel to allow itself to be attacked and not vigorously defend itself, as would any other nation is anti-Semitism.