Are Israel and Hezbollah guilty of war crimes?

Question

Are Israel and Hezbollah guilty of war crimes?
A report by the human rights group Amnesty International has accused Israel of war crimes, saying it targeted civilians during its campaign against Hezbollah.

source: BBC news

Answer 1

If you consider murder a crime then all war is a crime. So your personal definition of war crime does come into play. Amnesty International for all the good it does pretty much points at everyone/group/nation as war criminals when there is fighting. The only people I've seen them supporting are cowards and the oppressed that don't or cann't fight back. Everyone else are criminals or supporters of criminals because we don't support them.

Hezbollah militants are not in any government's recognized army so they are officially civilians. If you kill one you have just killed a civilian. So are Isrealis guilty of war crimes. Hell yes, both sides are. But don't just take Amnesty Internationals view. Isreal is a government trying to protect their citizens in an almost impossible situation. So what do you expect them to do other then bomb the area the missles came from? Hezbollah is a militant group more or less fighting their own crusade for the holy lands. They kill who ever they can get their hands on which includes firing unguided missles from alleys between apartment complexes.

Honestly, when you got hundreds to thousands of people fighting don't ya just kind of expect a few to go over board. Those are the people who are commiting real war crimes to me. In an army with rules, etc if you commit the crime you can get caught and punished and that is the army protecting people it is fighting against. I don't think Hezbollah punishes their own side for anything. I expect they may think the worse the better. The worst punishment the Isrealis can do to a Hezbollah member is kill him which automatically makes him a hero of the Hezbollah.

Amnesty would call Americans war criminals for bombing Berlin during World War 2 because civilians live there. And by their definition they would be right.

So think about it for yourself and you decide.

Answer 2

This is an interesting question and a lot of people here talk about "war crimes" and don't define what is a war crime.

Israel says it didn't "target" civilians but I wonder when does reckless disregard for civilian safety become something more culpable than collateral damage in a defensive military action?

I also wonder about the large number of civilians who were killed, especially given the fact that Israel is supposed to have such precision, surgical instruments of war.

The principle appears to be that any amount of force is appropriate in the "self-defense" of Israel and that it doesn't matter who strikes first, or who violates a cease fire. We know who the good guys are, they are our ally Israel, and Israel cannot commit war crimes, it can only defend itself.

In the US we don't really have enough facts about how Hezbollah aimed its rockets. I understand that some were fired at military targets, but their intent may not have been much different from Israel. That is, fire at military targets, but if the rocket goes astray, so what? But mainly in the US it's heresy to even think that anything that Israel did was excessive, reckless, or anything close to a war crime or that Hezbollah might have fired at military targets.

Answer 3

Amnesty International does not even recognize Hezbollah as a terrorist group, so there goes any credence you may try to give them. Hezbollah hid among civilian population. That's the way they operate...trying to turn public opinion against a justifiable attack. Israel was very cautious and kept civilian casualties to a minimum, comparing that to what they actually inflicted on the cities and contryside of Lebanon. Operating as a terroist organization, Hezbollah should be kicked out of the Lebanese parliament for causing the problem.

Answer 4

I guess that would make Hezbollah guilty as well, since it targeted civilians exclusively in its rocket attacks in Israel.

One could argue that war itself is a crime.

Answer 5

Amnesty International also DOES NOT condemn CONCENTRATION CAMPS in North Korea, or China or Cuba for jailing of political prisoners. So lets look at the agenda of this "watchdog" before we jump at Israel.

Answer 6

Hezbollah certainly is. one for targeting civilians and two for firing weapons from within civilian populations. but then again, terrorists don't care about civilian deaths.

Answer 7

Yes and the American Government too.

Answer 8

look at the source of your info and who is putting up the money for the opinion

Answer 9

Hezzbollah is but since they answer to no particular country who is going to prosecute them?