Comment by lm28469

Comment by lm28469 10 months ago

> It's downvoted because it's the definition of proportional.

Two wrongs don't make a right... are we really at that level of brain activity on HN of all places ? this is schoolyard level

You can have proportional terrorism, proportional war crimes, proportional crimes against humanity. Proportionality doesn't tell you much, it certainly doesn't tell you anything about it being indiscriminate or not

> Certainly not "indiscriminate".

Cool, go tell that to the two kids who died: https://www.rte.ie/news/2024/0918/1470609-hezbollah-israel/

Also feel free to read the actual texts defining these things, detonating explosives in supermarkets is indiscriminate by nature, there is just no way around it if you're in good faith : https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/customary-ihl/v1/rule12

Both sides are clearly operating out of the boundaries we defined for conventional wars, is it really that hard to accept ? They're not even trying to hide it really... such a strange allergic reaction to these basic facts

nahumfarchi 10 months ago

Proportionality is at the center of defining a war crime.

"The principle of proportionality (Article 51(5) (b) API) states that even if there is a clear military target it is not possible to attack it if the expected harm to civilians, or civilian property, is excessive in relation to the expected military advantage."

https://www.diakonia.se/ihl/resources/international-humanita...

So, the case that Israel has to make here is that the expected millitary advantage from the operation exceeds the collateral damage. The fact that civilians died doesn't automatically make it a war crime from an international law point of view.

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mempko 10 months ago

I don't believe those children who died care about definitions. In fact they don't care much about anything anymore since they are dead.

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- dijit 10 months ago
  
  Appeal to emotion is harder to take seriously when Hezbollah rockets killed 12 children this year alone.
  
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  beedeebeedee 10 months ago
  
  Appeal to not be emotional is even harder to take seriously when Hezbollah rockets killed 12 children and Israel has killed 10,000 children this year alone.
  
  Reply View | 4 replies
  
  lm28469 10 months ago
  
  You're almost there buddy... people criticising israel here are also criticising hezbollah for war crimes... you don't have to pick a side and close your eyes on their actions
  
  Reply View | 1 reply
  
  dijit 10 months ago
  
  They're not though.
  AOC being the most prominent example that comes to mind immediately.
  
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- nahumfarchi 10 months ago
  
  Their death is tragic, but such is war unfortunately... Lebanon is participating in this one whether they like to or not.
  That aside, these definitions were written for a reason, even if they have no appeal to the current victims.
  
  Reply View | 0 replies

Aeium 10 months ago

Three grams of explosives in each device used by a hostile military organization.

I don't think it could possibly be more targeted. Literally just devices issued by Hezbollah themselves to their own members.

Maybe it wasn't perfect. That seems to be the bar you are setting.

But much closer to perfect than I would have imagined possible. And closer to perfect than I think most people would have imagined. Maybe that is aggravating to people ideologically set against literally anything they might do.

But far superior, and less disruptive to innocent people to tactics used elsewere by Israel. Far far more more targeted and less disruptive to innocent people than the tactics used by Hezbollah themselves.

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