Israel Reflections–Use of Force & Civilian Targets

In light of yesterday’s events in Israel–Hamas launching a missile attack on an Israeli schoolbus and the Israeli response of missile attacks into Gaza–one of our speakers that we heard during our trip to Israel is particularly on point today.  How do you determine an “appropriate” response to the Hamas attack?  Here are one student’s reflections on our meeting with Roni Lev, the military attorney for the Northern Command of the Israel Defense Forces:

For me, Roni Lev was one of the most interesting speakers we had during the trip. She presented on the operational legal questions she would face in her job as legal adviser to the Northern Command of the IDF. I was most interested in how Israeli law has evolved to address targeting and weighing the risk of civilian casualties. It was fairly clear the Israeli military and legal system had devoted a considerable amount of time to those questions, and that Israeli ethics had weighed heavily into determining operational rules. The whole discussion was rounded out nicely by Roni’s father, who provided an anecdote from his Air Force days, of an Israeli pilot who received orders to fire but chose not to because of the probability of substantial civilian casualties. The commanding officer expressed his disagreement but respected the pilot’s decision. Overall, it was an interesting look at how the law tries to solve difficult operational questions, but also how the law will never be able to govern the complex situations that confront the Israeli military.

One thought on “Israel Reflections–Use of Force & Civilian Targets”

  1. This is a very difficult question but varies depending on a variety of factors. History of past responses should be evaluated. By using history, we reduce bloodshed and we have a basis to work from. And last, let’s consider the current public view on what is reasonable

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