[Salon] Further Netanyahu War Crimes Using Palestinian Human Shields in Gaza

[Chas Freeman <cwfresidence@gmail.com>]

From the desk of Ralph Nader

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From the desk of Ralph Nader

Back from Gaza, Dr. Feroze Sidhwa had the following to say on the September 28, 2024 episode of The Ralph Nader Radio Hour:
 
“So, yeah, there are no rules of engagement. The use of Palestinians as human shields by the Israeli military is something else that just—it's just—someone at some point will write a history of American media coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict, and no rational person will believe that it could have been this mendacious. The use of human shields by Israel, even just in the past year, including children and not even only in Gaza, especially including, in fact, in particular in the West Bank, is shocking. It's on video.
 
It's oftentimes on Israel's own body cam videos, which for some reason, I don't know how they've actually been released. I'm not sure about that. And beyond that, it's not just sending, say, a Palestinian to go knock on the neighbor's door, the so-called neighbor procedure. The Israeli military is actually dressing up. And again, this is all video documented.
 
There is no question about it, whatsoever. The Israeli military is putting Palestinians in Israeli military uniforms and marching them through buildings to see if someone will shoot at them, see if they'll trigger a booby trap. This is outrageous. It's crazy. I mean, and then on the flip side, when they say Hamas or whoever is using human shields, it's almost laughable because why would the Palestinians think that the presence of Palestinian civilians will stop the Israeli military from blowing something up? It's just ridiculous. It doesn't stop anywhere else. They drop these huge bombs on tents. They shoot children in the head constantly. Why would they be hesitant about blowing up this or that civilian?”

By way of historical verification, consider the following authoritative Israeli statement on Israel’s long practice of targeting civilians: 
 
Former UN Ambassador and Foreign Minister Abba Eban wrote of Israel under then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin that Israel "is wantonly inflicting every possible measure of death and anguish on civilian populations in a mood reminiscent of regimes which neither Mr. Begin nor I would dare to mention by name."