Here's the synopsis that opens my reading of Israel's official report on the Gaza operation.
Synopsis: Self anointed human rights organizations, followed by much of the media, have
cast Israel as a serial transgressor against international law. The most recent case of this was
Israel's incursion into Hamas-controlled Gaza in January 2009, which was widely portrayed
as criminal from inception to smallest detail. Defenders of Israel's actions, generally not well
versed in the minutiae of international law, have allowed themselves to be wrong footed,
claiming that facts are wrong, or mooting the unacceptability of international law itself if it
forbids Israel to defend its citizens.
The State of Israel has now published its legal and factual rebuttal. The authors of the report
emphatically embrace international law and insist that its principles guide the IDF as it trains,
plans, executes and investigate; they demonstrate all these actions on the case of the Gaza
incursion.
The report is serious and learned, which means it is open to discussion and disagreement.
Yet such a discussion must be informed and reasoned – precisely as much of the criticism
leveled at Israel isn't.
The full report, at 164 pages, is here. I urge anyone who feels the need to express an
opinion, to read it. My 20-page summary and commentary is a service for the hasty; it's here.
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4 comments:
Not to get off topic, but just a reminder: August 7, 2009 is the 80th anniversary of the Hebron Massacre.
Yaacov, unfortunately, the links in your Google document don't work -- any way to fix that? I would definitely like to link to it, but would vastly prefer to do so once the links work.
Will check back here to see if you can make it work -- thanks; and of course: great job, as always.
I moved the document to a new place and format. I hope the links work now.
yaacov
I have but one observation to make. If a location is believed and known by Hamas to be 'safe' from attack, because it is a hospital or UN building, or a 'refuge area' to which civilians have been told, by the IDF, to flee, then I would take it for granted that that location is the *first* place that the Hamas jihadi gang bosses will use as a base from which to command their operations, launch attacks, etc. I understand one of the main Hamas command bunkers/ hidey-holes was right underneath one of the biggest hospitals in Gaza?
Any Muslim civilians who get killed as a result, are martyrs (for the home audience) and can be used for PR (to tug the heartstrings of the non-Muslim world audience).
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