All things Middle East related

[BaltimoreSkins]

Originally Posted by nonniey

And again, it goes back to deliberate tactics of HAMAs to maximize casualties within the Palestinian population. HAMAS intent was to prevent targeting of their assets by surrounding those assets with civilians. Israel made the decision not to acquiesce to those tactics which resulted in the large number of civilian casualties. As it wasn't the civilians who were the targets a, b and d above don't apply, and the claim of c. is a bit dubious as movement of medicine and food to Palestinians has occurred (with that also being targeted/restricted when HAMAS uses it for their purposes. (Here is a historical analogy - The Lusitania was sunk with heavy loss of civilian life - she was in fact carrying arms and thus was a legal target - politically it was a disaster for Germany as it contributed to the eventual US entry into the war - but still she was a legal target and ultimately no charges were brought against any Germans for her sinking).

I'd feel a lot more confident in this reply if HAMAS didn't agree to the cease fire deal that Israel had put forth and then Israel decide to renege on it back in July. There are plenty of other incidents which strike me as criminal as well. Such as when Israel designates safe zones for Palestinians and then bombs those areas or repeatedly raiding food aid distribution and throwing out the food despite knowing there are no terrorists there. I feel like over the course of the last year Israel has altered their tactics to become far more aggressive with the goal of taking land, their motives have shifted.

What are your thoughts on them moving into the Golan Heights buffer zone and then further into Syrian territory?