Israel Attacks Gaza: "A Disproportionate Response?"by Dore Gold

Former UN Ambassador Dore Gold discusses the concept of proportionality in international law. Is Israel acting in a disproportionate manner? Dr. Gold answers no, it is Hamas who is violating international law.
View more videos by Dr. Dore Gold at http://www.jcpa.org


Did Israel Use "Disproportionate Force" in Gaza?
By Dore Gold

-Israeli population centers in southern Israel have been the target of over 4,000 rockets, as well as thousands of mortar shells, fired by Hamas and other organizations since 2001. Rocket attacks increased by 500 percent after Israel withdrew completely from the Gaza Strip in August 2005. During an informal six-month lull, some 215 rockets were launched at Israel.
-The charge that Israel uses disproportionate force keeps resurfacing whenever it has to defend its citizens from non-state terrorist organizations and the rocket attacks they perpetrate. From a purely legal perspective, Israel's current military actions in Gaza are on solid ground. According to international law, Israel is not required to calibrate its use of force precisely according to the size and range of the weaponry used against it.
-Ibrahim Barzak and Amy Teibel wrote for the Associated Press on December 28 that most of the 230 Palestinians who were reportedly killed were "security forces," and Palestinian officials said "at least 15 civilians were among the dead." The numbers reported indicate that there was no clear intent to inflict disproportionate collateral civilian casualties. What is critical from the standpoint of international law is that if the attempt has been made "to minimize civilian damage, then even a strike that causes large amounts of damage - but is directed at a target with very large military value - would be lawful."
-Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, explained that international humanitarian law and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court "permit belligerents to carry out proportionate attacks against military objectives, even when it is known that some civilian deaths or injuries will occur." The attack becomes a war crime when it is directed against civilians (which is precisely what Hamas does).
-After 9/11, when the Western alliance united to collectively topple the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, no one compared Afghan casualties in 2001 to the actual numbers that died from al-Qaeda's attack. There clearly is no international expectation that military losses in war should be on a one-to-one basis. To expect Israel to hold back in its use of decisive force against legitimate military targets in Gaza is to condemn it to a long war of attrition with Hamas.
To read Amb. Gold's full report please click here:
http://www.jcpa.org/JCPA/Templates/ShowPage.asp?DRIT=1&DBID=1&LNGID=1...

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[Sefardi123]

THIS MAN should debate publicly against the war-mongering traitor Finkelstein!

Dore Gold for Foreigh minister of Israel!!!

[wdgann111]

Dore Gold is a great spokesman. I would like to see him interviewed more

[steute2011]

@GWC1975 No, your are wrong as well. Most Americans do not favor either. They favor the Palestinian People, who have been illegally occupied for 40+ years. This will soon come to an end upon Palestinian UN statehood. Isael will then be abandoned by the US like the terrible stepchild it has been, followed by UN sanctions and perhaps even boots on the ground to protect the soverignty of the member nation. So settlers, either apply for Palestinian citizenship or pack your shit and get to steppin!!

[GWC1975]

@USStateSponTerrorism

Speak for yourself, asshole. Most Americans are in favor of Israel and against Hamas. And you're YouTube name shows that you're no American patriot. You're a fucking virus.

[GWC1975]

@USStateSponTerrorism

You're a disease.

[Yitzhakhazak]

@USStateSponTerrorism

Look at the mirror so you can recognize yourself: a bastard son of a whore. You want trouble you know where you can find it!

[eremselle]

@USStateSponTerrorism its obvious u r a sick person

[Astrsous1]

Israel will be not lovet in the world . Israel Goal is to delet all arab from the wolrd. Go ahmed nihad delet israel from the world and i help you

[USStateSponTerrorism]

@3swelldogs3 Hamas is not the only enemy of the Sons of Israeli Whores, we Americans are fed up with you Israeli bastards. I pray that someday Jews will try to pull off some of this shit here in America so we can have the chance to show you fucking scum how Americans really feel about Israel. Bless Hamas!

[USStateSponTerrorism]

No sane person believes anything that comes out of the mouth of supporters of Jewish Terrorism against the Palestinians, including our lying federal government. Eventually Israel will get what's coming to them. I am an American and I hope Israel is wiped off the face of the earth, soon, They are a disease. US support of Israel is equivalent to support of terrorism, war crimes, and genocide against the Palestinians.

[kennethadammiller]

Yes!!! Finally, some answers to my questions