Palestinian Mother and Daughter Shown Amidst Destruction, taken from source [4]
In class the past few weeks we have discussed the creation of Israel and Palestine’s “day of catastrophe.” For my blog post, I decided to dive into a more recent controversial power struggle between Israel and Palestine, Operation Protective Edge, which occurred in 2014. On July 7, Israel launched an attack on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. This occurred directly after Hamas, a fundamentalist Palestinian organization, kidnapped and murdered three Israeli teenagers. In addition, tensions had been growing between the Hamas and Israel due to increased threat of violence from the Hamas. The Hamas built a series of tunnels leading from the Gaza Strip into Israel allowing for ground attacks, and Hamas rockets were within range to hit the homes of nearly 70% of Israeli homes. Throughout the conflict, almost 4,500 Hamas rockets and 5,000 Israeli rockets were launched toward opposing forces and civilians killing 70 Israelis and 2,100 Palestinians. Israel was able to identify and destroy 32 tunnels used by Palestinian ground forces.
Attacks such as Operation Protective Edge gray the line of morality and legality when it comes to war practices. In some respects, it is understandable that Israel attacked the Hamas in order to maintain safety for its citizens, however many of the actions taken by both militaries can be considered war crimes. According to the law of war attacks against civilians should be avoided whenever feasible and both sides repeatedly disregarded this throughout the conflict. As shown in the photo above, the civilian population was directly impacted by the combat taking place. Not only did attacks kill innocent civilians, but it also destroyed their homes and property. The question remains if this can be considered acceptable in a wartime situation such as this. Upon conclusion of the conflict in August of 2014 several high-ranking Israeli military officials were investigated for war crimes regarding these infractions.
-Andrew W.
Sources:
[1]: http://www.merip.org/mero/mero102615
[2]: https://www.idfblog.com/operationgaza2014/#Genralinformation
[3]: http://www.jpost.com/Operation-Protective-Edge/50-days-of-Israels-Gaza-operation-Protective-Edge-by-the-numbers-372574
[4]: https://www.rt.com/op-edge/178932-genocide-israel-ethnic-cleansing/
The fact that both they both resorted to war crimes such as these, may trace back to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict of 1948. It could be because of the animosity that still exists since the Israelis took over Palestine and displaced its people.
ReplyDeleteWhy do I feel like the conflict between Israel and Palestine will never end? There seems to be a constant problem between the two states. In my Ethics in International Affairs class, we just finished talking about the just war theory and how there are certain concepts and ideals that should be upheld when going into war, during war, and after war, and many of these concepts are being ignored or disrespected with this attack and this conflict in general.
ReplyDeleteWe do seem to be running out of ideas on how to resolve these tensions.
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy how deep the wounds run from the conflict, that both sides are still willing to go to such extremes. Does anyone know the results of the trials that the Israeli military officials underwent?
ReplyDeleteI second this statement and request. I would guess that the military officials were not heavily reprimanded. However, how much longer can this conflict last? War is costly, but also hell. Why would anyone want to extend their stay?
DeleteI would offer that this animosity is perpetuated by the continued military efforts by both sides. Both civilian populations are familiar with loss at this point and eager to place blame on their opponent. I imagine that these nations are composed of very tightly knit communities. Such communities do not easily forget the death of a son or daughter. Imagine with all the mortar and rocket strikes in recent history, how many families can say that one of their members was 'murdered'.
ReplyDeleteI know there was an investigation I believe by the UN of Israel's wartime tactics but I don't think any repercussions were taken.
ReplyDelete"According to the law of war attacks against civilians should be avoided whenever feasible and both sides repeatedly disregarded this throughout the conflict. "
ReplyDeleteThat's a so general and a bad statement. Causalities are unavoidable and Israel goes out of their way to avoid civilian causalities. The casualty numbers are so high for the Palestinians due to Hamas fighting strategy. Hamas thrive on the death of their own Palestinian civilians and gain sympathy and donations thanks to that. Israel goes to _EXTREME_ measures to prevent death of civilians on both sides knowing how bad it would make them look in the news in addition to the IDFs emphasis on the value of human life.