Alkarama Condemns Israel's aggression on Lebanon

Alkarama condemns the recent attacks by Israel on Lebanon which has resulted in massive losses in civilian lives and severe destruction. The scale of destruction and the nature of the attacks clearly indicate that the international rules requiring the protection of civilians have not been abided by.

International Humanitarian law as stipulated in the Geneva conventions and its two additional protocols explicitly prohibit any attacks on the civilian population or civilian objects. Article 51 of the First Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions stipulates that all precautions must be taken when conducting attacks so as to avoid or minimize civilian losses. Article 57 imposes a positive obligation on states to halt any attacks if it appears that the loss to civilian lives would be excessive to the military advantage gained. While Israel is not a state party to the First Additional Protocol the rules requiring the protection of civilians have now crystallised to become part of Customary International Law.

Anyone following the news about Israeli attacks in the past week will find that Israel's choice of targets and the means and methods it uses to attack these targets clearly contradicts the provisions of the Geneva Conventions and the two Additional Protocols. For e.g Israel has targeted throughout the week factories, airports, villages and civilian neighbourhoods which are all in this context civilian targets. Article 52 of the First Additional Protocol identifies military objectives as those which" by their nature, location, purpose or use make an effective contribution to military action and whose total or partial destruction, capture or neutralization, in the circumstances ruling at the time, offers a definite military advantage."

Did Hezbollah ever use Beirut airport to attack Israel?. Does the destruction of the biggest dairy products factory in Lebanon offer Israel a definite military advantage?

Is it plausible that Hezbollah would use a Christian neighborhood in the heart of Beirut to attack Israel that would justify attacking it?. All this was justified by Israel on the grounds that two of its soldiers were abducted by Hezbollah even though international law does not prohibit that taking of prisoners of war as long as they are treated humanely.

Alkarama calls on the International community to intervene immediately to stop the aggression against Lebanon and to prosecute all those who committed such heinous crimes.   The Geneva conventions obliges all members states to search for and prosecute those suspected of committing grave breaches to the conventions and hence any state that can get hold of Israeli officials involved in the massacres in Lebanon should immediately arrest and prosecute them so that justice can take its course and in order for these states to comply with their obligations under the Geneva Conventions. Alkarama also calls on the Israeli government to withdraw immediately from occupied Arab territories in order to comply with International law.