The use of human shields in war is not a new phenomenon. The military has forced civilians to serve as human shields for centuries. Yet despite this long and dubious history, Israel has managed to introduce a new form of protection in Gaza that appears unprecedented in the history of war.
This practice was initially exposed by Tel Aviv Tribune but later Haaretz published a comprehensive article on how Israeli troops kidnapped Palestinian civilians, dressed them in military uniforms, attached cameras to their bodies and sent them into underground tunnels as well as buildings. to protect Israeli troops.
“(I)t’s difficult to recognize them. They usually wear Israeli army uniforms, many of them are in their 20s, and they are always with Israeli soldiers of different ranks,” the Haaretz article notes. But if you look closer, “you see that most of them are wearing sneakers, not military boots. And their hands are handcuffed behind their backs and their faces are full of fear. »
In the past, Israeli troops have used robots and trained dogs with cameras on their collars, as well as Palestinian civilians to serve as shields. However, the Palestinians used as shields still wore civilian clothes and could therefore be identified as civilians. By dressing Palestinian civilians in military uniforms and sending them into tunnels, the Israeli army has in effect changed the very logic of human protection.
Indeed, human protection is historically based on the recognition that the person protecting a military target is a vulnerable civilian (or a prisoner of war). This recognition is intended to deter the opposing warring party from attacking the target, as the vulnerability of the human shield ostensibly invokes moral restrictions on the use of lethal violence. It is precisely the recognition of vulnerability that is essential for the supposed effectiveness of the human shield and for deterrence to have a chance of working.
By dressing Palestinian civilians in Israeli military uniforms and presenting them as combatants, the Israeli military deliberately conceals their vulnerability. He deploys them as shields, not to deter Palestinian fighters from hitting Israeli soldiers, but rather to attract their fire and thus reveal their location, allowing Israeli troops to launch a counterattack and kill the fighters. As soon as these human shields, masked as soldiers, are sent into the tunnels, they transform from vulnerable civilians into fodder.
The Israeli military’s treatment of Palestinian civilians as expendable property is perhaps no surprise given the racialized form of colonial governance to which they have been subjected for decades. This deep-rooted racism explains the ease with which Israeli President Isaac Herzog publicly declared that there were “no innocent civilians” in the Gaza Strip, as well as the ambient indifference of the Israeli Jewish public towards the tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians who were killed. .
Indeed, Israelis were not shocked when their political leaders repeatedly called for “wiping out” Gaza, “flattening” it and turning it “into Dresden.” They have either supported or been apathetic in the face of the damage and destruction of 60 percent of all civilian structures and sites in Gaza.
In this context, dressing Palestinian civilians in military gear and sending them into tunnels is likely to be seen in the eyes of most Israeli soldiers – and much of the Israeli public – as nothing more. just a simple detail.
Nevertheless, this new form of human protection sheds important light on how racism manifests itself on the battlefield. It reveals that the military took to heart and implemented Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s racist directives that “we fight human animals,” revealing how Israeli soldiers view Palestinians as bait or prey. Just like hunters who use raw meat to attract animals they want to capture or kill, Israeli troops use Palestinian civilians as if they were naked flesh whose function is to attract the hunter’s prey. .
Racism also explains Israel’s disregard for international law. By randomly arresting Palestinian civilians – including young and old people – and then dressing them in military fatigues before forcing them to march in front of soldiers, Israeli troops are not only violating the legal provision prohibiting the use of shields human rights, but also the provision which treats with perfidy and prohibits the warring parties from using “the military uniforms of the opposing parties when engaging in attacks or in order to protect, favor, protect or hinder military operations”. Two war crimes in one action.
The ugly truth, however, is that no matter how much evidence emerges around Israel’s use of this new human protection practice or any other violation of international law, the likelihood is that it will change actions on the ground. is weak.
The hope that international law will protect and provide justice for the Palestinian people has always been in vain because colonial racism – as critical jurists from Antony Anghie to Noura Erekat have pointed out – influences not only Israel’s actions but also the international legal order, including how the International Criminal Court (ICC) dispenses justice. To get an overview of this racism, just browse the website of the International Criminal Court to see who it was willing to indict.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Tel Aviv Tribune.