Israeli Military Action

I recently read an article on the BBC website that asked the question; in Gaza, who is a civilian? http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7811386.stm I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the writing and the depth of the analysis and would highly recommend it to all readers. The only frustrating part of the article was the lack of a conclusion. Certainly the author brought into question whether the war was just (namely on the grounds of proportional response and minimizing civilian casualties) but she made no attempt at answering the question she herself had set. Admittedly it is perhaps the most difficult and critical question in an age that has seen warfare change drastically. It is easy to become outraged by stories of children being killed by bombs that failed to destroy an obviously military target. What is difficult is how to judge, for instance, the destruction of the science laboratories at the Islamic University or the slaughter of over 40 Police Officer Trainees on their parade ground.

In the first case the destruction of the science labs was purported to be due to their use in weapons research. Firstly, I think it is very easy to claim that almost any scientific research is weapons based. Certainly anything that can be labeled physics, chemistry, or engineering. As a reason for destruction I think it is inexcusable unless the following conditions are met; either that proof can be provided that weapons are being manufactured in those facilities, or that the weapons being researched are banned by international treaties etc. In either case, the international community has every right to demand proof as a reason for destruction. Destruction of University buildings seems particularly foolish from several other standpoints. Most of the young, liberal and educated Palestinians living in Gaza will have some sort of connection to the University. These are the individuals that ultimately could be expected to be the supporters of moderate government and peaceful coexistence with Israel. Destruction of an educational facility is likely to encourage many of them to adopt conservative views and, at the very least, view future interaction with Israel with increased skepticism.

The Police Trainees are an exceptionally difficult case. The Israeli government has claimed that many of them are also terrorists of some description and even that they have taken part in past rocket attacks. Once again they have made these claims without offering any form of proof to the international community. In addition, these were individuals being trained in first aid, riot prevention and generally in keeping the peace in a community that badly needs them. Such individuals are most likely to do far more good than harm, particularly as Israel has been unwilling to indicate how many of the forty they suspected.

The last thing I wish to touch on is proportionality. Since 2001 only 18 Israelis have died from rocket fire. The newest reports from Gaza have indicated that over 700 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of this assault. I completely fail to see how this can be justified as proportional. The Israeli government has claimed that the political wing of Hamas is just as culpable as the terrorist wing and therefore all of the governmental agencies it controls are legitimate targets. Best as I can judge, this is Israel begging the rest of the Islamic world for a fight and I would be astounded if the recent rocket fire from Lebanon proved to be the last.