Does Israel place military targets near civilians?

[Karmadillo]

http://www.counterpunch.com/cook08032006.html

Israel, Not Hizbullah, is Putting Civilians in Danger on Both Sides of the Border
By JONATHAN COOK

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One of Hizbullah's first rocket attacks after the outbreak of hostilities -- after Israel went on the bombing offensive by blitzing targets across Lebanon -- was on a kibbutz overlooking the border with Lebanon. Some foreign correspondents noted at the time (though given Israel's press censorship laws I cannot confirm) that the rocket strike targeted a top-secret military traffic control centre built into the Galilee's hills.

There are hundreds of similar military installations next to or inside Israel's northern communities. Some distance from Nazareth, for example, Israel has built a large weapons factory virtually on top of an Arab town -- so close to it, in fact, that the factory's perimeter fence is only a few metres from the main building of the local junior school. There have been reports of rockets landing close to that Arab community.

How these kind of attacks are being unfairly presented in the Israeli and foreign media was highlighted recently when it was widely reported that a Hizbullah rocket had landed "near a hospital" in a named Israeli city, not the first time that such a claim has been made over the past few weeks. I cannot name the city, again because of Israel's press censorship laws and because I also want to point out that very "near" that hospital is an army camp. The media suggested that Hizbullah was trying to hit the hospital, but it is also more than possible it was trying to strike -- and may have struck -- the army camp.

Israel's military censorship laws are therefore allowing officials to misrepresent, unchallenged, any attack by Hizbullah as an indiscriminate strike against civilian targets.

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[Sherman A1]

1. In both cases the countries are not overly large

it is most likely the case that military installations of various types will end up near civilian areas, or that civilian development will encroach upon the military areas. It's a fact of life I would think everywhere. So the game becomes, how do you hit a military target without hitting the things near it. A problem for both sides and then you add in the duel use facilities and things get even more complex.

[Karmakaze]

2. Woops...

Israel and its supporters will be pissed about this getting out...

[adriennui]

3. hezbollah

moves INTO civilian areas so that civilian areas BECOME targets.

i would assume you would know the difference.

[Karmakaze]

4. Prove it.

You apparently can read their minds. Even if we accept Hizbullah does "move into civilian areas", how can you be sure they do it specifically to make civilians into targets?

Maybe they do it so they are near fortifications that they themselves can hide in? That would be disregarding civilian casualties, but then so is dropping a bomb on an apartment building, or siting a munitions factory next to a school.

But do you have any comment on the point of the article in the OP? That Israel has many valid military targets that it appears at least some of Hizbullahs attacks are aimed at, but due to Israeli supression of the media we don't hear about them so are left to think that Hizbullah is targeting civilians?

[adriennui]

5. i don't have to prove a damn thing to you

i'm not interested in changing your mind...your mind is closed to the fact that the party of god is a bunch of terrorists.

[Karmadillo]

6. Of course you don't HAVE to prove anything, but on a

discussion board, the presentation of at least some evidence in support of one's position is considered reasonable behavior.

[Ms. Clio]

7. pot, meet kettle

thanks for the opportunity to kick this thread.

[Karmakaze]

8. Wait...

are you refering to Hizbullah or Israel? Because your description fits both equally.