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The War of Ideas in the Middle East
The interesting question to me is whether settlers are considered "civilians" in the conventional sense, and, if so, are they entitled to the protections accorded to civilians in an armed conflict? If not, then are they legitimate targets? It seems to me that they fall somewhere between "civilians" and "combatants." At the very least, individuals who knowingly and forcibly live on land belonging to others (not to mention the other violent crimes committed by settlers and the myriad other ways in which they cause suffering on Palestinians) -- these people do not seem to be entitled to live in complete security on stolen land.
Regarding your "social human shield" concept, I wonder if you would apply the same logic to Israel's many, many escalations against Palestinian civilians. Does that make Israeli society a "social human shield," too?
There was nothing conventional about the Gaza war. Conventional suggest two military forces fighting each other in a battlefield. This was a 'war' against civilians, civilian infrastructure, and property. Nothing conventional about that.
I would add that calling the execution of collaborators "revenge killings" is conclusory. What makes you so certain that revenge was the sole or primary motive behind these killings? I would argue that these killings are more punishment than pure vengeance -- revenge is a factor, but so is deterrence, etc.
Phil - I agree that it is bizarre to assert that Hamas used human shields based merely on your feeling, without any supporting evidence. Is there any other national group that is subject to such flimsy intellectual standards?