Is Israel Justified In Attacking Hamas?
The news media appears to be inundated with Arab talking heads and some Europeans who are clamoring to tell the world that Israel is morally wrong in defending itself against Hamas.
Dore Gold, Israel's former Ambassador to the United Nations, answers Israel's critics. Below is a summary of his persuasive case:
- Israeli population centers in southern Israel have been the
target of over 4,000 rockets, as well as thousands of mortar shells,
fired by Hamas and other organizations since 2001. Rocket attacks increased by 500 percent after Israel withdrew completely from the Gaza Strip in August 2005. During an informal six-month lull, some 215 rockets were launched at Israel.
- The
charge that Israel uses disproportionate force keeps resurfacing
whenever it has to defend its citizens from non-state terrorist
organizations and the rocket attacks they perpetuate. From a purely
legal perspective, Israel's current military actions in Gaza are on
solid ground. According to international law, Israel is not required to
calibrate its use of force precisely according to the size and range of
the weaponry used against it.
- Ibrahim Barzak and Amy Teibel wrote for the Associated Press on
December 28 that most of the 230 Palestinians who were reportedly
killed were "security forces," and Palestinian officials said "at least
15 civilians were among the dead." The numbers reported indicate that
there was no clear intent to inflict disproportionate collateral
civilian casualties. What is critical from the standpoint of
international law is that if the attempt has been made "to minimize
civilian damage, then even a strike that causes large amounts of damage
- but is directed at a target with very large military value - would be
lawful."
- Luis Moreno-Orampo, the Chief Prosecutor of the
International Criminal Court, explained that international humanitarian
law and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court "permit
belligerents to carry out proportionate attacks against
military objectives, even when it is known that some civilian deaths or
injuries will occur." The attack becomes a war crime when it is
directed against civilians (which is precisely what Hamas does).
- After
9/11, when the Western alliance united to collectively topple the
Taliban regime in Afghanistan, no one compared Afghan casualties in
2001 to the actual numbers that died from al-Qaeda's attack. There
clearly is no international expectation that military losses in war
should be on a one-to-one basis. To expect Israel to hold back in its
use of decisive force against legitimate military targets in Gaza is to
condemn it to a long war of attrition with Hamas.
His complete response can be found
here.Where were Israel's critics while Hamas constantly targeted innocent Israeli citizens?
One
Muslim group tells the truth about Hamas.
Ask the leaders of any of the countries who are condemning Israel what they would do if a neighboring country sent missiles into their country or continued to infiltrate their country and blew themselves up killing innocent civilians? I'm sure the answer would not be any different from what Israel is doing to stop these attacks. There is only one country in the world that appears to have to accept a different standard.
Israel has every right to defend its citizens against the daily, overwhelming onslaught of missiles, mortars, and rockets launched from Gaza. Morally speaking, one must understand that every human life is sacred; therefore, it is incumbent upon the leaders of a country to protect its citizenry from lethal force. Civilians should never have to live in fear every hour of the day or night due to the possibility of projectiles raining down on them. Hamas and Islamic Jihad both desire to eradicate the Jewish presence in Israel--that is their sworn testimony. Would any sovereign country wait for such evil actions to occur to its people? Common sense dictates protecting oneself, one's family, neighbors, community, and country. Legally, how can someone justify a terrorist entity acting out its uncontrollable, violent volition against a people who want to live in peace? Hamas and Islamic Jihad on based on the proposition that murdering Jews is legal. Is terrorism legal? Is wanton murder legal? Is protecting oneslef with the body of a civilian while one attempts to murder a legal action?