Is Israel really violating international law in the war against Hamas? The Biden administration, the EU, the UN, Arab nations and others have begun to wage a campaign to restrain Israel’s efforts to destroy Hamas in Gaza. The campaign is based on allegations that there is a contradiction between Israel’s military operations and the laws of war. To understand the nature of these claims, and what the laws of war require from Israel, as well as from the nations waging this campaign against Israel, Caroline spoke with Prof Avi Bell. Bell is a world expert on the laws of war and international humanitarian law.
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Adam-
“-Plus sa meme chose”
I believe that it should be”AS America’s tar baby”. I recall that term very well. The negro population at one time tried to make it into a racial slur, because it used to be used for The famous negro boxer Sam Langford.
It just means a very “sticky and difficult customer (or problem)”. In Langford’s case he was very short, about 5’7″ but had a very long reach and proved to be a top class heavyweight boxer, very difficult to handle..
I believe the phrase was coined by those working at the local tar pits or pine forests where the trees would emit sticky substances, many years before Langford.
Avi Bell’s analogy of the US de-nazifying Germany at the end of WWII is interesting, however, Nazism was an ideology, whereas all Arab hatred of Israel (and of the Jews) is religious. De-programming religious belief will be much harder, plus, the world as a whole will not stand for it. So, if you cannot de-program those who would kill you, the range of alternatives is smaller.
Also, it seems to me that during WWII, the Allies considered ALL citizens of Germany and Japan as combatants because they supported their regimes. Prof. Bell, however seems to give a pass to those Gazans who don’t “support” Hamas. The problem is, of course, how do you tell the difference? You can’t. One must assume, therefore, that, just as in WWII, all citizens of Gaza are supporters of Hamas. Israel should not, and I’m sure, will not, purposely target civilians, but if any civilians are killed, as Hamas is systematically destroyed, there is no war-crime because all Gazans must be considered combatants.
Israel is stuck in the American tar baby. [I wonder how many remember that analogy.] They cannot escape the “cycle of violence” if they remain tethered to the Americans. Even larger than the Hamas challenge, is how Israel can disengage from the US, so that they have a free hand to defend themselves. One day, the whole world will come against Israel, but that’s another story.
Very clear explanation of international law.
To the extent that Israel needs military support from other countries, it makes Israel vulnerable to their demands.
I am not in a position to know if Israel can fight all on her own without international support, so I don’t feel I can judge the leaders if they back off from full fledged ground invasion of Gaza.
I think it is important to know Israel is totally within her rights to prosecute this war and defeat Hamas completely. Israel spent two days or more warning the civilians of Gaza to leave, only to have some of them be prevented from leaving by Egypt and Hamas.
Nevertheless, Israel has the right to attack military targets in Gaza, and even if civilians are caught in the crossfire, under international law Israel is not to blame. Anyone who blames Israel is simply supporting Hamas in a genocidal war against the Jews.
The Israelis have been snookered by that fiendish Blinken into giving up their stated intention of a major ground offensive. According to a British military “expert” on the Middle East interviewed by the Times of London, Israel was ready to begin its ground offensive two days ago, but agreed toBlinken’s demand that they postpone any military action until he returns to Israel from “consultations” with other Middle Eastern counteries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and in Qatar, Iran. The official press spokesman for the IDF has fully confirmed this. This will allow lots of time for Hamas and Co. to escape across the Egyptian frontier. In order to assure this, however, Blinken has “persuaded” a very reluctant Sisi to allow the admission to Egypt of an unlimited number of “refugees” from Gaza into the Sinai or elsewhere in Egypt. From Egypt, he says he will try to find possible third countries to accept these refugees. But he also expects Israel to let them back into Gaza. The result: nearly all Hamasniks and other terrorists will escape before Israel does anything on the ground in Gaza. Blinken has also heavily stressed in his conversations with Israeli officials that he expects Israel to be extra careful not to do anything that will result in casualties to “innocent civilians.”
The over-all result of Blinken’s scheming: Israel will send a small force into Gaza for a few days to do a little “lawn mowing,” and then order Israel to pull out after maybe blowing up a tunnel or two. Hamas and company will then return with the “refugees and resume their rule in Gaza. Plus sa change.
This is a Must See video.