Britannia Radio

From Arlene Kushner's email July 21, 2010:

Israel has provided a response to the UN regarding the Goldstone Report. Commitments have been made by us regarding ways to reduce civilian casualties in future conflicts. Most notably, these include:

[] Restricting the use of white phosphorous as a smoke screen. This use of phosphorous is legal under international law -- it is not using the phosphorous as a weapon. But, OK, it can inadvertently cause civilian damage sometimes.

[] Integrating a Humanitarian Affairs Officer into each combat unit.

This is particularly bad news. In all instances -- whether taking on Hezbollah in Lebanon, or Hamas in Gaza, or terrorists in Judea and Samaria -- we are dealing with those who do not play by the rules and could not care less about loss of civilian life. Yet it is our forces that will be monitored every step of the way and forever held accountable.

This inhibits our ability to defend ourselves, for we will be afraid of being second-guessed after the fact. Not only is this not a way to win a war (and winning is the critical point here), there is no other fighting force in the world held to such standards. No one imagines that the US military must have a "humanitarian affairs officer" in each combat unit -- not in Iraq, not in Afghanistan -- in spite of civilian casualties. While the irony is that we are the most ethical fighting force in the world.

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Israeli army to get humanitarian affairs officers in wake of Gaza war

Measures designed to reduce civilian casualties outlined in official report into three-week offensive

Harriet Sherwood July 21, 2010 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/21/israeli-military-gaza-war

The Israeli military is to assign a "humanitarian affairs officer" to each of its combat units to advise soldiers on the need to protect civilians and their property during conflicts.

The move is part of a range of measures outlined in an official Israeli report submitted this week to the United Nations following Israel's three-week assaulton Gaza in 2008-9. The report says the military aims to reduce civilian casualties in future conflicts and restrict the use of white phosphorus, an incendiary weapon that causes extensive burns.

It also says that in the past six months military authorities have launched an additional 11 investigations into possible criminal acts committed by Israeli soldiers during the conflict, bringing the total number of investigations to 47.

According to the report, the humanitarian affairs officers will have responsibility for advising their combat unit's commanding officer and educating soldiers on the protection of civilians, civilian property and infrastructure; the planning of humanitarian assistance; and the co-ordination of humanitarian movement.

"The IDF has ... implemented operational changes in its orders and combat doctrine designed to further minimise civilian casualties and damage to civilian property in the future," it said.

"In particular, the IDF has adopted important new procedures designed to enhance the protection of civilians in urban warfare, for instance by further emphasising that the protection of civilians is an integral part of an IDF commander's mission."

It said the use of white phosphorus remained legal, though the IDF is "in the process of establishing permanent restrictions on the use of munitions containing white phosphorus in urban areas".

Protection for civilians should include safe havens, evacuation routes, medical treatment, effective communication between the military and the population, and humanitarian access during curfews and closures.

On civilian property and infrastructure, the report says the military in future must undertake "advance research into and the precise identification and marking of existing infrastructure, including that pertaining to water, food and power supplies, sewage, health services, educational institutions, religious sites, economic sites, factories, stores, communications and media, and other sensitive sites as well as cultural institutions".

About 1,400 Palestinians, many of them civilians, were killed in the war on Gaza. Thousands more were injured during the military operation. Thirteen Israelis died. Thousands of homes were destroyed or damaged, and much of Gaza's civilian infrastructure was bombed.

The Israeli military repeatedly denied using white phosphorus at the time, though it later acknowledged its use, claiming that it was limited to unpopulated areas.

The Goldstone inquiry, which investigated the conflict on behalf of the UN, concluded that Israel was "systematically reckless in determining its use in built-up areas". Numerous cases of white phosphorus burns among civilians were documented by journalists and human rights organisations in the aftermath of the war. The Goldstone report found that both Israel and Hamas had committed war crimes during the conflict.