War Also Has Rules

B'Tselem urges the two sides to comply with international law and refrain from harming innocent civilians

Clashes between the IDF and armed Palestinians have increased in recent weeks, resulting in the killing and wounding of dozens of civilians. In some of the instances, the two sides violated international humanitarian law, which restricts the actions that a party is allowed to take in war. The objective of these provisions is to minimize the harm to those who do not belong to the warring forces. The pillar underlying these provisions is the strict distinction between civilians and combatants.

Therefore, B'Tselem urges the two sides to strictly comply with the requirements of international humanitarian law, as follows:

• Prohibition on disproportionate attacks An attack is disproportionate if it is directed against a legitimate target, but the damage and injury that it may cause to civilians is excessive in relation to the military advantage anticipated.

• Prohibition on indiscriminate attacks An attack is indiscriminate if it is not directed at a specific military objective or it employs weapons or ammunition which are insufficiently precise to ensure that only military targets will be struck.

• Prohibition on using civilians as a shield It is forbidden to place combatants or military facilities near a civilian population with the objective of attaining immunity from enemy attacks. However, the violation of this prohibition by one side does not deny the civilian nature of the population in such an instance. That is, the breach of this prohibition by one side does not allow the other side to launch an indiscriminate attack.

• Prohibition on directing attacks against civilians Clearly, civilians are liable to be injured as a result of clashes between armed forces. However, whatever the circumstances, it is forbidden for civilians to be a target of gunfire, shelling, or bombing of any kind.