Note that, in Israel, some Israelis are willing to openly question whether Israel has gone "too far", and contrast that with some of the views on our Politics threads....views that do not make allowances for the idea that it is reasonable and appropriate for non-Israelis to ask similar questions, or be of the opinion that Israel's response in Gaza and in Lebanon, was "over done".
Quote:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...284260,00.html
Nahum Barnea
Inquiry commission that wasn't
Politicians, army officers and journalists who spend their time covering their hide should be the first to testify
.......We didn’t do what the Americans did in Kosovo - we didn't blindly carpet-bomb the enemy capital.......
Civilian questions
The most pressing question I have is: Did the government, the army, the political echelon and the media not take to blind cheerleading, a move that served only the enemy?
The question came up when I heard Defense Minister Amir Peretz explain proudly that he had removed limits on the IDF regulating warfare in areas where civilians live alongside Hizbullah soldiers.
I can understand accidentally hurting civilians while fighting a war. But explicit instructions about the civilian population in south Lebanon and the Shiite neighborhoods in Beirut is a rash, fool-hardy action that invited disaster.
Covering our skin
We saw the results of that policy yesterday, in the bodies of women and children being carried out of the rubble in Kana. We warned them ahead of time, says the IDF. We dropped leaflets telling them to leave. According to International Law we covered ourselves.
The generals may consider themselves "covered," either by their understanding of international law or the instructions they received from Defense Minister Peretz.
But I, for one, am covered in shame. Anyone who has visited the north in the last couple of weeks can tell you what it's like for civilians during wartime: Those who can leave, do.
Those left behind are the weaker elements of society: the poor, the sick, the elderly, the children, the handicapped. No leaflet is going to make those who have no where to go leave their homes.....
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