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7.1.09

Do you see any grey areas? Me neither

Art. 3. In the case of armed conflict not of an international character occurring in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties, each Party to the conflict shall be bound to apply, as a minimum, the following
provisions:

(1) Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria.

To this end the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons:
(a) violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture;
(b) taking of hostages;
(c) outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment;
(d) the passing of sentences and the carrying out of executions without previous judgment pronounced by a regularly constituted court, affording all the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples.

(2) The wounded and sick shall be collected and cared for.

An impartial humanitarian body, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, may offer its services to the Parties to the conflict.

The Parties to the conflict should further endeavour to bring into force, by means of special agreements, all or part of the other provisions of the present Convention.

The application of the preceding provisions shall not affect the legal status of the Parties to the conflict.

Art. 4. Persons protected by the Convention are those who, at a given moment and in any manner whatsoever, find themselves, in case of a conflict or occupation, in the hands of a Party to the conflict or Occupying Power of which they are not nationals.

The Geneva Conventions,

It's worth it, in times like these, where lies are flying almost as thick as the bombs, to remember how simple, how precise, how totally crystal clear the rules of war are.

The blockade of Gaza, the until today total refusal to allow fresh medical supplies, food, medicine, water and power into the Gaza strip, and the refusal to allow the evacuation of the civilian population are - say it with me:

They're war crimes. And given their systematic nature, and their place in an entrenched and systematic structure of abuse and oppression (not to mention an illegal occupation), they are crimes against humanity. There is no wriggle room here. There is no difference of interpretation. I keep repeating this, but it needs to be said, over and over: the Israeli political and military leadership are committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Oh, and btw, the very targets that Israel are picking out are also illegal:
Art 14. Protection of objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population

Starvation of civilians as a method of combat is prohibited. It is therefore prohibited to attack, destroy, remove or render useless for that purpose, objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population such as food-stuffs, agricultural areas for the production of food-stuffs, crops, livestock, drinking water installations and supplies and irrigation works.
(Protocol II)

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