SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Car that two cameraman were riding in when Israeli missile struck in Gaza City on November 20, 2012. (Fred Abrahams/Human Rights Watch)
Israeli 'Surgical Targeting' of Journalists, Civilians a War Crime: Report
Rights group calls for prosecution of 'Pillar of Defense' crimes
Dec 20, 2012
Israeli bombings of media outlets during the recent eight day siege on Gaza broke several international "laws of war," including the targeting of civilians, Human Rights Watch reports Thursday.
Out of the thousands of bombs dropped on Gaza during the attacks, several were used in at least four strikes that directly targeted journalists and media facilities, highlighting the fact that Israeli forces were aiming at more than so-called militants during their "Operation Pillar of Defense" last month.
Two Palestinian cameramen were killed and 10 media workers were wounded in the strikes, which hit four media buildings and four civilian offices in Gaza City.
One of the attacks, which Israel has deemed "surgical targeting" on "operational communications infrastructure," killed a two-year-old boy in the process.
In total, the siege took the lives of over 180 Palestinians and injured hundreds more--a large majority of those casualties being civilians, particularly children.
As HRW is reporting, the blatant attacks on journalists in the city reveals an expansion of targeting beyond so-called militants and evidence of intentional civilian targeting.
HRW reports that Israel's justification of such attacks "suggesting that it is permissible to attack media because of their associations or opinions," in turn, violates "the laws of war and [places] journalists at grave risk."
HRW continues:
Under the laws of war, civilians and civilian structures may not be deliberate targets of attack. Just as it is unlawful to attack the civilian population to lower its morale, it is unlawful to attack facilities that shape public opinion, such as the media; neither directly contributes to military operations.
International law obligates states to investigate serious violations of the laws of war. Victims of violations and their families should be promptly and adequately compensated. Anyone responsible for deliberately or recklessly committing a serious violation of the laws of war should be prosecuted for war crimes.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Jacob Chamberlain
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.
Israeli bombings of media outlets during the recent eight day siege on Gaza broke several international "laws of war," including the targeting of civilians, Human Rights Watch reports Thursday.
Out of the thousands of bombs dropped on Gaza during the attacks, several were used in at least four strikes that directly targeted journalists and media facilities, highlighting the fact that Israeli forces were aiming at more than so-called militants during their "Operation Pillar of Defense" last month.
Two Palestinian cameramen were killed and 10 media workers were wounded in the strikes, which hit four media buildings and four civilian offices in Gaza City.
One of the attacks, which Israel has deemed "surgical targeting" on "operational communications infrastructure," killed a two-year-old boy in the process.
In total, the siege took the lives of over 180 Palestinians and injured hundreds more--a large majority of those casualties being civilians, particularly children.
As HRW is reporting, the blatant attacks on journalists in the city reveals an expansion of targeting beyond so-called militants and evidence of intentional civilian targeting.
HRW reports that Israel's justification of such attacks "suggesting that it is permissible to attack media because of their associations or opinions," in turn, violates "the laws of war and [places] journalists at grave risk."
HRW continues:
Under the laws of war, civilians and civilian structures may not be deliberate targets of attack. Just as it is unlawful to attack the civilian population to lower its morale, it is unlawful to attack facilities that shape public opinion, such as the media; neither directly contributes to military operations.
International law obligates states to investigate serious violations of the laws of war. Victims of violations and their families should be promptly and adequately compensated. Anyone responsible for deliberately or recklessly committing a serious violation of the laws of war should be prosecuted for war crimes.
Jacob Chamberlain
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.
Israeli bombings of media outlets during the recent eight day siege on Gaza broke several international "laws of war," including the targeting of civilians, Human Rights Watch reports Thursday.
Out of the thousands of bombs dropped on Gaza during the attacks, several were used in at least four strikes that directly targeted journalists and media facilities, highlighting the fact that Israeli forces were aiming at more than so-called militants during their "Operation Pillar of Defense" last month.
Two Palestinian cameramen were killed and 10 media workers were wounded in the strikes, which hit four media buildings and four civilian offices in Gaza City.
One of the attacks, which Israel has deemed "surgical targeting" on "operational communications infrastructure," killed a two-year-old boy in the process.
In total, the siege took the lives of over 180 Palestinians and injured hundreds more--a large majority of those casualties being civilians, particularly children.
As HRW is reporting, the blatant attacks on journalists in the city reveals an expansion of targeting beyond so-called militants and evidence of intentional civilian targeting.
HRW reports that Israel's justification of such attacks "suggesting that it is permissible to attack media because of their associations or opinions," in turn, violates "the laws of war and [places] journalists at grave risk."
HRW continues:
Under the laws of war, civilians and civilian structures may not be deliberate targets of attack. Just as it is unlawful to attack the civilian population to lower its morale, it is unlawful to attack facilities that shape public opinion, such as the media; neither directly contributes to military operations.
International law obligates states to investigate serious violations of the laws of war. Victims of violations and their families should be promptly and adequately compensated. Anyone responsible for deliberately or recklessly committing a serious violation of the laws of war should be prosecuted for war crimes.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.