'Human shields' rhetoric still not exhausted by Israeli officials

Departing from an allegation presented as fact, Israeli General Benny Gantz reverted to accusations of Hamas using civilians as human shields. The context for this perpetual narrative this time was Gantz’s visit to Nahal Oz, where a four-year-old settler child was killed allegedly by a mortar shell fired from Gaza. According to Gantz, the mortar had been fired from UNRWA premises.

Gantz’s rhetoric was uttered during a conference under the banner “Toward a New Law of War” hosted by the Israel Law Centre in Jerusalem. Responsible for the unfolding of Israel’s colonial massacre last summer, Gantz attempted to project and justify the defence narrative that has sustained the fabricated state since its inception. Of particular importance, however, is the manner in which Hamas, UNRWA and human shields have been manipulated into a sinister agenda that allowed Gantz to advocate that “democratic countries must update the laws of war”.

The recent turmoil in the Middle East has provided a perfect example of how allegedly democratic countries have changed tactics to maintain permanent division of society, violence and provide the groundwork for terror groups to infiltrate. On 2 March, 2007, former US General Wesley Clark confirmed the extent of the “War on Terror”, stating that the Bush administration intended to “take out seven countries in five years”. The US might be heading towards an extended time frame; however, Clark’s admission is an indication of how allegedly democratic countries have shaped recent history and territorial collapse in the region.

Within the context of Palestine, Israel has enforced decades of colonial violence and expansion mirroring that of its ally. Furthermore, the emphasis that Israel places upon human shields is nothing but an illusion that serves the interests of colonialism and mainstream media – a tactic that plays upon the humane instinct and abhorrence of violence to divert attention away from Palestinians and the resistance, both of which have been deprived of freedom of movement and autonomous use of territory.

Primarily, there is no “practice of largely targeting Israeli civilians and operating from within civilian population centres.” During “Operation Protective Edge”, Israel intentionally misrepresented Gaza by manipulating coverage and maps in an attempt to convince its global audience of alleged threats. Incarcerated within the enclave, Palestinian resistance utilised the limited territory in their defence agianst the Israeli massacre that availed itself of superior military measures and added to the carnage through its ground invasion of Gaza.

The ensuing death toll clearly confirms Israel’s practice of targeting Palestinian civilians – a brutal accomplishment that Gantz can add to this record. While last week’s reports in Israeli media hinted at a forthcoming offensive against Gaza, Gantz is foreseeing a higher death toll in any imminent aggression, stating: “It’s going to be worse next time.” Considering that Israel is militarily superior, it is evident that the death toll refers to the percentage of Palestinians Israel intends to murder, all the time utilising the human shields rhetoric as an excuse.

If the whole concept of human shields is to be articulated successfully, one should take into consideration how the entire settler population that has willingly rendered itself complicit in colonisation; has allowed the Israeli government to make use of them as human shields throughout its colonial conquest phases.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.