I've been told yes, and that there are no grey areas here.
If this is the case are Israel going to be brought to account by their recent actions in Lebanon?
2006-09-14 02:11:03 · 25 answers · asked by Ellie29uk 3 in Politics & Government ➔ Military
No they never do, do they Nix... the only country that "gets away with murder"
2006-09-14 02:15:07 · update #1
Rockandroll... do you believe everything that the Western propaganda have you read?
2006-09-14 02:24:03 · update #2
Yes it is a crime!
If you wish to know to what depths the Israelis will stoop, Then research what happened when they were last in Lebanon working with Falangists.
Shiron was a general then, But he stood by whilst civilians were murdered! Not only stood by, but ordered his forces to cordon off the ghetto whilst it happened!
2006-09-14 08:34:32 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes and more and more nations and groups are ignoring international law. Israel, USA, UK, all drop cluster bombs and depleted Uranium munitions and Phosferous munitions in civillian areas knowing full well that civillians will be killed and maimed.
What is the difference between deliberately targeting civillians, and deliberately taking action that you know will cause the deaths of civillians?
I might be slow here, but when both sides are deliberatly launching lethal weaponry (illegal in the case of cluster weapons and DU) at areas in which they know there are civillians, then surely that is a war crime! I don't care if it's Al queda, Hamas, Hizbollah, the US, UK or Israel. Deliberately taking military action that will result in the deaths of civillians is a war crime, any way you slice it.
so BOTH sides committed war crimes and if international law means anything, BOTH sides should face the legal consequences.
If Israel did not target civillians, they did a hellova job in killing well over a thousand of them, almost than 100 times the amount that hezbollah killled. the indescrimanate and totally disproportianate response of Israel, (especially in the last 2 days of the war, when Israel knew a ceasefire was going to come into effect) is a heinious and barbaric use of internationally prescribed weaponry against civillian areas. Clearly a war crime, any way you slice it.
Hezbollah claimed to be only attacking military personnel, clearly a lie. their weapony was targetted at civillian areas and in no way did Israel's breach of international law excuse Hizbollah from their own crimes.
So I guess both sides lied, and both sides committed evil war crimes for which both their leaders should be imprisoned for for the rest of their natural lives.
2006-09-14 06:52:38 · answer #2 · answered by kenhallonthenet 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Deliberately targetting civilians is a war crime.
Deliberately targetting an area or vehicle believed to be a threat even when civilians are known to be in the area is not a war crime.
Israel do not have anything to be brought to account for.
2006-09-14 02:14:25 · answer #3 · answered by Nix 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it is a war crime to target. However cowards like Hezbollah hiding with civilians have put civilians in danger. That makes Hezbollah & Lebanon guilty of war crimes. Soldiers use to dress like soldiers & fight like men not hide in neighborhoods. Wait! The US still fights that way - Lebanon allowed Hezbollah to break all the rules. No war crimes there, look for another way to attack the Jews. No I am not Jewish I just like fairness.
2006-09-14 02:27:53 · answer #4 · answered by Wolfpacker 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Everything performed is a crime to the loser, nothing is a crime to the winner. Will Israel be brought to the account by their recent actions? As it stands at the moment probably not, why? because of their 'power' backing & which countries represents their side. (I hope I'm wrong who knows.)
2006-09-14 04:54:52 · answer #5 · answered by A . Z . 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Indeed it is. But so is ill treatment of prisoners, arrests and internment without a trial. The geneva convention (1948) Made this pretty clear. Why there is not a body in the world able to take some countries for war crimes, same as what happened after world war 2 ... Never fails to amaze and disgust me.
2006-09-14 02:21:38 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Israel did not deliberately target civilians. Hezbollah worked their way into areas that had civilians in mass and used these civilians as shields. Hezbollah are a bunch of cowards and couldn't stand up to Israel in a face to face fight. They have to hide using civilians as shields and in holes where they belong. One of these days they will be wiped out in spite of their tactics and then there will be peace in the middle east. MAYBE!
2006-09-14 02:18:07 · answer #7 · answered by wunderkind 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes.
The problem comes with the status of terrorists.
As people who are not members of a recognised 'army' when they are on 'active service' they are legitimate targets. When they go home for a cup of tea & a prayer in the mosque they become civilians & are not legitimate targets.
Unfortunately, terrorists dont play by the rules & use mosques as a place to store arms & to site heavy machine guns....
2006-09-14 02:22:09 · answer #8 · answered by Pretorian 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
In the case of Hellaboh, they are not military, they are civilians, yet they were firing missles into Isreal, and stole across the border, killed Isreali soldiers, and kidnapped 2 of them.
So, they are civilians who are waging war? Does that make them soldiers or criminals.
Remember, they attacked first, Israel counter-attacked.
Should Israel have tolerated their deliberate targeting of civilians?
2006-09-14 02:21:07 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Not only deliberate targetting but indirectly killing civilians through carelesness is a warcrime under the Geneva convention as amended in 1949.
2006-09-14 02:30:52 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋