Saturday column

"Israel has a right to defend itself, so long as it does not use its army."

A disproportionate response. ADDENDA: A tip of the hat to Maderblog, or rather to Maderblog's mother (MotherMader?), who was the "constituent" mentioned in the piece. HAD THERE BEEN SPACE: It is not enough, I should have mentioned, merely to refrain from deliberately targeting civilians. You also can't bomb indiscriminately, and you have to weigh the military value of the target against the risk of civilian casualties.

But the point stands: provided Israel adheres to these guidelines, the mere loss of civilian life is not evidence of war crimes, least of all in numbers that, to date, are historically low. Whereas Hezbollah is clearly in violation.

For more on the laws of war as they apply to civilians in this conflict, read this very balanced assessment by Human Rights Watch.

Also cited:

The First Protocol to the Geneva Conventions. Deaths in Wars and Conflicts Between 1945 and 2000.