“What did those windows and window treatments ever do to Israel?”
Tel Aviv, May 15 – An Israeli airstrike that struck a top-floor apartment last Wednesday, killing a Palestinian Islamic Jihad senior commander, caused damage to neighboring apartments in the building, a consequence that human rights groups called “unconscionable” today, and called for an international investigation into what they deemed a possible war crime.
A precision missile struck the residence of Ali Hassan Ghali last Wednesday evening. The specialized weapon, calibrated to confine the damage to several rooms instead of the more common military practice elsewhere – and in previous clashes between Israel and Islamist groups in Gaza – of taking down the entire building, nevertheless resulted in smashed windows, plumbing damage, cracked paint, fallen pottery, electrical outages, and ripped furniture upholstery in the units adjacent to and beneath the targeted apartment. The operation also killed Ghali and three other Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters.
Human Rights Watch tweeted a condemnation of the strike. “Israel once again shows its disregard for everything sacred,” the organization wrote. Amnesty International and Btselem retweeted HRW’s post, and Btselem insisted that Israeli military and political officials be forced to reimburse the homeowner for the wall, fixture, furnishing, and wiring damage.
The strike took place as part of Israel’s Operation Shield and Arrow, an effort to degrade the rocket-launching capacity of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The Iran-backed terrorist group launched more than a hundred rockets at Israeli communities the week before last, in violation of a ceasefire from August of last year; the barrages prompted Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to order the operation, which began last week. IAF aircraft have targeted PIJ commanders, training centers, positions, launchers, observation posts, and other facilities, many of them embedded in populated civilian areas in violation of International Law.
Israel’s efforts to minimize noncombatant casualties have resulted in the development of ever-more-sophisticated weapons and tactics. Previous rounds of fighting have featured the “roof knock” technique of targeting a building with a loud but not-destructive explosion to warn its inhabitants to evacuate, several minutes before destroying the entire structure. This also gave the targets time to flee; the current method reduces both the radius of damage and potential casualties, as well as eliminates the risk of the target escaping his fate. The NGOs call those measures insufficient.
“It’s completely disproportionate,” argued an Amnesty spokeswoman. “What did those windows and window treatments ever do to Israel? Are you going to tell me the ruined couch, with the coffee stains now all over it, was threatening Tel Aviv? This impunity must stop.”
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