Chapter

Israeli soldiers' perceptions of Palestinian civilians during the 2009 Gaza war

Neta Oren

Civilians and modern war : armed conflict and the ideology of violence

London ; New York : Routledge, 2012

p. 130-145

English

Bibliographie : p. 145

While the suffering of Palestinian civilians in the 2009 Gaza War can be explained in part by the type of war it was and the ambiguity of civilian identity and relationship with the combatants, such suffering also finds its source in a shared mind set among Israeli soldiers about the identity of civilians, what are their relations to enemy combatants, and how they should be treated in times of war. And the ambiguities of the written set of rules that govern the relationship between soldiers and civilians may in some cases result in the indiscriminate use of violence and provide justification to kill civilian non-combatants. The chapter thus focuses on Israeli Rules of Engagement adopted during the 2009 Gaza War and highlights some challenges regarding the practicality of these rules and their interpretation by soldiers in the field that may explain why, despite a strong pro-civilian focus of the International Humanitarian law, civilians continue to suffer and die in far greater numbers than combatants in today’s conflicts.

• Civilians and modern war : armed conflict and the ideology of violence / ed. by Daniel Rothbart, Karina V. Korostelina and Mohammed D. Cherkaoui