If Palestinian terrorists used kidnapped Jewish women/children as human shields, would the IDF use a different tactic for taking out rocket launch sites?
Hypothetical scenario: Let’s say a Palestinian terrorist group was using kidnapped Israeli Jews as human shields at the locations where they were firing their rockets from. Would the IDF use the same type of airstrikes to counter the threat?
To the IDF, is all collateral damage equally as bad or is a dead Palestinian child “worth less” somehow than a dead Jewish child?
If so, what tactics would they employ to counter the hypothetical scenario? Why wouldn’t they use that in the current situation?
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civilians on the “other side” are always worth less than your own.
For several ‘reasons’:
1. Nationalism
2. Racism.
3. Bad publicity if you were to start slaughtering your own people.
Or a combination of the above.
You wiped out 2 japanese cities full of innocent men, women and children with nuclear weapons.
@ragingloli If they’re not equal, how many dead Palestinian children is one dead Israeli child worth in terms of collateral damage?
Not to mention the German slaughter of millions of innocent civilians all across Europe in WWII.
In general, in wartime, the protection of the interests of “self” (meaning my people, my lands, my resources (or the stuff that my people want) is paramount.
What Israel doesn’t seem to realize is that with their current tactics they’re only playing into Hamas’ hands.
It’s a waste of time speculating about such a hypothetical case for a variety of reasons. For example, the launch sites for the rockets are never fixed. The rockets are clandestinely smuggled to a location in small numbers. The locations are often in the midst of civilian populations, the bulk of which are ignorant of the fact that the rockets are there. The rockets are fired, and those responsible vanish. The IDF can track to exactly where the artillery rockets are launched, but the only folks around to suffer the retaliatory strike are the civilians ignorant of the whole operation. The IDF blows up women and kids, and it’s a propaganda win for the rocketeers. The thing that allows the Palestinians to plod on firing rockets into Israeli settlements is that the scheme is so simple and requires little in the way of manpower, planning or resources. Why introduce the pointless, complex and unnecessary trouble of seizing, holding and guarding hostages, and announcing to the IDF. “We’re here,and we’re not going anywhere. Come wipe us out” What would be the point, when things are working so well as they are?
@hearkat That’s the best and most concise documentary on the history of the “Holy Land” I have yet to come across. Thank YOU!
@stanleybmanly I think you’re missing the point. I don’t expect this scenario to actually happen. The point is that when the current Israeli administration makes statements to the effect of “we’re doing everything we can to minimize civilian casualties” I suspect they are lying. If the casualties were Jewish hostages, the numbers would be considered very unacceptable, and other tactics would probably be employed. The point is that the current Israeli administration considers innocents on the other side as not worth enough to use different tactics to avoid their deaths.
You’re right. I did miss the point. I thought you were asking if such a scheme were sensible.
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