An Arrow in Our Quiver

NO sooner did the Israeli government begin its military operations against Hamas and Hezbollah than European politicians and diplomats, as well as NGOs, warned Israel to cease its actions lest there be collateral civilian damage. Jacques Chirac called Israel’s actions “totally disproportionate.” Multiple U.N. officials condemned the “horrific” destruction. On July 19, Louise Arbour, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, condemned as a war crime any bombardment of military targets that resulted in civilian casualties. On August 3, Human Rights Watch released a study concluding that the collateral damage wrought by Israeli bombing “cannot be dismissed as mere accidents and cannot be blamed on wrongful Hezbollah practices.” It concluded that Israel had committed war crimes.

The violence of war seldom occurs on isolated battlefields. Whether in Lebanon, Iraq, the Congo, Kosovo, or Bosnia, civilians often die when armies clash and air forces bomb. Complicating the matter is the tendency of human-rights groups to classify as a civilian everyone but formal, uniformed soldiers—a definition that leaves much to be desired.

About the Author

Michael Rubin

Michael Rubin is Director of Policy Analysis at the Middle East Forum and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

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NO sooner did the Israeli government begin its military operations against Hamas and Hezbollah than European politicians and diplomats, as well as NGOs, warned Israel to cease its actions lest there be collateral civilian damage. Jacques Chirac called Israel’s actions “totally disproportionate.” Multiple U.N. officials condemned the “horrific” destruction. On July 19, Louise Arbour, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, condemned as a war crime any bombardment of military targets that resulted in civilian casualties. On August 3, Human Rights Watch released a study concluding that the collateral damage wrought by Israeli bombing “cannot be dismissed as mere accidents and cannot be blamed on wrongful Hezbollah practices.” It concluded that Israel had committed war crimes.

The violence of war seldom occurs on isolated battlefields. Whether in Lebanon, Iraq, the Congo, Kosovo, or Bosnia, civilians often die when armies clash and air forces bomb. Complicating the matter is the tendency of human-rights groups to classify as a civilian everyone but formal, uniformed soldiers—a definition that leaves much to be desired.