Israel: FML! part 1

Israel was accused of many things during its 22-day war with Hamas militants in Gaza. Seven months after the fact, people still can’t agree on what actually happened—a common theme in Mid-East history. Even the disputed facts of what caused the war seem certain compared to how hazy the war looks. Israel attacked Hamas because they had been launching rockets into Israel, because they had blockaded the country, because Hamas had won the election and expelled Fatah. It’s all very simple! There is still a blockade, though Israel and Egypt send in aide daily. What Gazans want most now is construction materials like pipes and concrete, which Israel won’t allow for fear it will be made into weapons. (This fear is not without warrant—Hamas and Hezbollah have both used periods of calm to rearm themselves.)

I regret not citing a source for these, but during the war I kept a list of accusations against Israel. The first was that they used depleted uranium. This claim never went anywhere, and it’s totally ridiculous.

Next on my list is the use of white phosphorus, which proved to be true. White phosphorus is a chemical agent which creates a lot of smoke when it burns, and it is internationally allowed to be used for cover in open spaces. Unfortunately, there aren’t too many wide open spaces in Gaza, and some people were admitted to hospitals with burns suggesting a chemical agent. The IDF defended its use, saying it was using a legal substance in a legal manner.

Then there is the more general accusation of “war crimes.” Israel is a paranoid country, inhabited by paranoid people. When the UN asked to investigate the Gaza war, Israel denied them access to the Strip. The UN has a habit of passing resolutions against Israel, and there is a legitimate lack of trust on both sides. Ynet.com reported that “Berlin's Der Spiegel magazine reports that Palestinian Center for Human Rights in Gaza is trying to get hundreds of alleged war crimes claims heard in European courts.”

Amnesty International accused Israel and Hamas of war crimes.

In an Al Jazeera article which I regret not dating, IDF soldiers reportedly “laughed as they opened fire.” Israel has one of the most humane armies in the world. They do not benefit from civilian casualties, or even militant casualties because those are celebrated as “martyrs.” The IDF dropped thousands of leaflets and alerted residents through phone calls as to which areas they should avoid. Israel sent in troops on foot—at a risk to their own soldiers—so that they could avoid loss of Palestinian life. One doesn’t have to support the political motivations for the war, or Israel’s military tactics, but the IDF deserves credit for some of its actions. Furthermore, painting Jewish soldiers as evil, murdering monsters is an old form of anti-Semitism called the Blood-Libel.

Haaretz.com reported on January 31, 2009, that “A Brussles-based research group accused Israel of enlisting child soldiers,” and “use of underage Palestinians as informants and sometimes human shields.” Those are pretty serious accusations. It was unclear whether the alleged child soldiers were Palestinian or Israeli. Israel drafts most of its citizens when they turn 18. Arabs are not required to enlist, and Haredim can do community service instead. Army service is a rite of passage in Israeli society.

Human Rights Watch blasted Israel’s use of remote-piloted vehicles, saying their indiscriminate fire killed 87 people.

(Haaretz.com’s search engine is useless, and Jpost.com makes you pay for old articles. Rip off!)

So depleted uranium did not happen, white phosphorus did, war crimes have possibly been committed—although Israel doesn’t want to cooperate with groups it know will condemn it, and laughing while killing is just ridiculous. Israel released its own report on the war, which includes details about incidents in which Gazans were injured, and when UN cites were damaged. The report was widely dismissed. I’ve been reading it, and it actually sounds pretty reasonable. On the other hand, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch condemned Israel for everything in their reports. Israel is facing a lot of criticism—more than when US soldiers kill Iraqi civilians, more than when Mexican drug gangs kill police, etc. People (especially in NorCal, it seems) have the impression that Israel is a worse human rights violator than China. Some of the criticism is valid, but some is outlandish. I’d say about half the claims against Israel proved to be false or exaggerated.

Of course, Israel wasn’t exactly perfect in the aftermath of Operation Cast Lead. Israelis are paranoid and defensive (often for good reason,) and that gave off the appearance that they had something to hide. However, I don’t want to see Israel doing more apologizing, and I don’t want it to give legitimacy to groups which really have no more credibility in Israel. I find it extremely alarming when so many groups rush to condemn Israel. Why isn’t anyone rushing to blame Hamas for what it let happen in its territory? I am left with serious questions about the media, which will bring me to my next post.