Gazan Civilians are Not 'Human Shields'

 

We are frequently told by government officials and mainstream media commentators that Israel does everything possible to avoid killing Palestinian civilians, and when innocent Gazans are killed in Israeli bombardments, Hamas is to blame for using civilians as human shields. That Zionist propaganda narrative is transparently premised on the euphemistic use of the term "human shields" to mean any Palestinian living under Hamas rule in Gaza. The use of human shields is a violation of international humanitarian law. It is defined as the crime of using civilians to shield a military target. Residential buildings are not military targets. Hospitals are not military targets. Schools, including UN-run schools being used as makeshift shelters for civilians warned to leave their homes, are not military targets. Sewage treatment facilities are not military targets. The entire northern half of the Gaza Strip is not a military target. A target in Gaza is not a military target by virtue of being in Gaza. Yet, if we were to accept the reasoning underlying the typical euphemistic use of the term "human shields" in the mainstream propaganda narrative, we would have to conclude that the term applies to any Palestinian civilian killed in Gaza as a result of Israel's bombardment. During Israel's 22-day full-scale military assault on Gaza from December 27, 2008, until January 8, 2009, dubbed "Operation Cast Lead", we were incessantly told that Israel's bombing of mosques, apartment buildings, hospitals, schools, factories, farms, water treatment plants, and other civilian infrastructure was justified because Hamas was using civilians at those locations as "human shields". In fact, despite numerous detailed investigations by the UN and international human rights organizations that carefully considered the claims made by the Israeli government about Hamas's use of "human shields", there was not a single documented instance of Hamas using civilians as human shields. On the other hand, international investigators did document instances of Israeli soldiers using Palestinian civilians as human shields. All of the relevant history is thoroughly documented in my book Obstacle to Peace: The US Role in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. And the euphemistic use of the term "human shields" during "Cast Lead" is no different during this latest Israeli military operation against Gaza. Israel has warned 1.1 million Palestinians living in the northern half of Gaza to flee south while projecting its intention to pound north Gaza into rubble. We can anticipate that, once this dramatic escalation of Israel's already devastating bombardment begins, we will be told that Israel is absolved from responsibility for the deaths of any Palestinian civilians on the grounds that they were "human shields". Recognize that this narrative bears no resemblance to what international humanitarian law has to say about the matter. Recognize when you hear that claim incessantly regurgitated that it is a euphemism that bears no relationship to the definition of human shields under international law and is intended to justify Israeli war crimes. In addition to the indiscriminate bombing, Israel has implemented a total siege of the already impoverished strip of land. Gazans are running out of food, but even more concerningly, they are quickly running out of potable water. They have no electricity but for generators, with fuel also rapidly running out. Hospitals in Gaza are now crippled in their ability to help the wounded with the Palestinian death toll now surpassing 2,800 people. Israel refuses to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. It refuses to allow civilians to leave Gaza. Nowhere in Gaza is safe. There is no justification for the horrific murder, kidnapping, and terrorizing of Israeli civilians by Hamas on October 7. There is no justification for the horrific violence and terrorism that Israel is now perpetrating against the civilian population of Gaza with evident genocidal intent. We must stand for human decency. We must stand for peace. No more violence. No more bloodshed. For the sake of humanity, this madness must stop.

Purposefully, Jeremy

P.S. -- If you'd like to explore my writings on the Israel-Palestine conflict, here's a collection of articles you can freely access on my website, but if you're really like to take a deep dive into understanding the root causes and the reasons for the persistence of the conflict, that is precisely why I wrote Obstacle to Peace:

Order a hardcover or paperback copy of Obstacle to Peace today.