That last sentence pisses me off:
White phosphorus is considered an incendiary weapon under Protocol III of the Convention on the Prohibition of Use of Certain Conventional Weapons. The protocol prohibits using incendiary weapons against military targets located among civilians, although Israel has not signed it and is not bound by it.
Why the fuck do we give them any military support then? If their reason is true (“we need help to defend ourselves”), there is no reason why they couldn’t sign a fucking protocol for minimizing casualties.
Because we want Israel to use wp. Wp rounds in guns are the “tracer” rounds and can be used to correct long distance fire… And with modern “smart” artillery shells you can have them hit a course correct in flight to hit a "hot spot* that a drone or operative lit up. This allows you to use artillery without having to flatten several city blocks to hit one target.
Without the use of these sorts of rounds artillery would have to fire significantly less accurate rounds. And like in the Ukraine War, Gaza would be reduced to nothing but rubble. Gaza is so small that Nort Korea has the ability to flatten it with its Artillery setup.
Reasonable. But what I mean is: we should completely deny any military help until they vow to uphold the same military standards as we do. And with “vow” I mean “sign”. In writing.
War is fucked up anyway so demanding upholding some standards isn’t too much to ask in exchange for help, IMO
But what I mean is: we should completely deny any military help until they vow to uphold the same military standards as we do.
We do. Our military uses wp rounds too.
The problem is not that wp rounds are used, but how.
Israel isn’t firing off whole volleys of wp rounds. That would be prohibitively expensive.
It’s because both combative parties(Israel Government, Hamas) are out for nothing but blood. They don’t care who’s blood it is, they just want it.
Genocide
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“the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group.”
Did a quick google for ya.
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I’m watching very closely. I recommend you investigate the difference between Hamas and Gaza
Because the Palestinians were displaced from their native land?
So that justifies hamas committing atrocities?
Idk, if someone came and took over my house and told me to fuck off I’d probably be pretty pissed about it for awhile.
Wait, I thought chemical warfare was a war crime or something.
Look at Russia, it don’t matter because everything is fucked to shit right now in regards to international law
Also look at the US: who gave Ukraine white phosphorus to use against the Russians. I’m not saying I support Russia what so ever but there are international laws that protect human rights and the west clearly thinks it doesn’t apply to them
I’m trying to find something about this, but all I can find is articles saying Russia used white phosphorus. Where did you see this?
Maybe it was cluster bombs which are also against international law, but I swear I heard that today either on the news or read it somewhere. I’ll keep looking [https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/us-provide-cluster-munitions-ukraine-part-new-military-100836526]
Russia uses cluster bombs too though? Cluster bombs are bad because unexploded munitions are a lot like mines. The fighting is happening in Ukraine, not in Russia, and Ukraine is already littered with mines and unexploded munitions because of Russia’s use of both from the start of the war.
On top of that Israel’s President Herzog basically admitting to collective punishment but everyone is treating it like just another Saturday in Suburbia.
The thing about laws is…
Well, someone has to enforce them.
So when the people breaking the law are also the people primarily tasked with enforcing it…
White phosphorus munitions can legally be used on battlefields to make smoke screens, generate illumination, mark targets or burn bunkers and buildings. Because it has legal uses, white phosphorus is not banned as a chemical weapon under international conventions, but it can cause serious burns and start fires.
You just can’t use it to hit people (I don’t think you’re allowed set buildings on fire to kill people either)
And Israel is on thin ice because they used white phosphorous before in '09 (not claiming they used it illegally because I can’t find a source that will say one way or the other)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_phosphorus_munitions#International_law
Article 1 of Protocol III of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons defines an incendiary weapon as "any weapon or munition which is primarily designed to set fire to objects or to cause burn injury to persons through the action of flame, heat, or combination thereof, produced by a chemical reaction of a substance delivered on the target". Article 2 of the same protocol prohibits the deliberate use of incendiary weapons against civilian targets (already forbidden by the Geneva Conventions)
Depends on what they used it for. White phosphorus is the best known substance for creating smokescreens. It also happens to brutally mutilate people who are directly hit with the stuff.
This is all around horror, we are the worst.
An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
JERUSALEM, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Human Rights Watch on Thursday accused Israel of using white phosphorus munitions in its military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, saying the use of such weapons puts civilians at risk of serious and long-term injury.
Israel has been bombarding Gaza in retaliation for a Hamas rampage in southern Israeli towns that killed at least 1,300 people this week.
It provided links to two videos posted on social media that it said show “155mm white phosphorus artillery projectiles being used, apparently as smokescreens, marking, or signaling”.
Palestinian TV channels have broadcast video in recent days showing thin plumes of white smoke lining the sky over Gaza that they say was caused by such munitions.
Israel’s military in 2013 said it was phasing out white phosphorus smokescreen munitions used during its 2008-2009 offensive in Gaza, which drew war crimes allegations from various rights groups.
White phosphorus munitions can legally be used on battlefields to make smoke screens, generate illumination, mark targets or burn bunkers and buildings.
The original article contains 404 words, the summary contains 169 words. Saved 58%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
Damn, I just joined Lemmy and already my block list is greater than it ever was on reddit
ITT: a bunch of fucktards that don’t know the difference between smoke, flare and chemical weapons.
News flash: white phosphorus is used to create smoke and light with no damage to civilians.
HRW is a organization that does not have a reputation for flying off the handle.
Human Rights are not Zionist Rights.
There is not a single sentence in that article that claims that white phosphorus is used as a weapon. It is used for smokescreens and to mark areas in a war.
The issue is that it is not supposed to be used in populated areas because it can still encounter civilians.
It isn’t supposed to be used in densely populated areas because its extremely dangerous. Even if it wasn’t intentionally used as a weapon (which it very obviously was), then its still not excusable because it still causes a lot of harm to civilians.
They could use something else, but WP is used as a “marker” for the places they will bomb with explosives, and in doing that, they’re still launching WP at the thing they are trying to attack
Username checks out.
I could throw a granade right into the town square and tell the cops I was just trying to mark the area. You can choose to believe that I guess but it’s a pretty obvious lie since there are methods to mark things that are infinitely less deadly.
Really living up to the username there.
I have a chisel. It is used for shaping wood. If I stab people with it, it is now a weapon. You can’t say “it’s not a weapon, it’s meant for shaping wood” about the chisel that I used to stab people.