Sublime

challenges us to rethink the classic bright-line distinction between combatants and noncombatants. This line, which lies at the core of the international law of war, has been exploited in the interest of terrorism.

We should favor those who seek peace over those who have shown a preference for war. We should favor those who are not seeking to destroy a U.N. member state over those who are.

Instead, the IDF sought to weaken Hezbollah, attacking both Hezbollah military targets as well as Lebanese civilian infrastructure, including Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport. But Hezbollah fought back for several intense weeks during what became known as the Second Lebanon War and held a seemingly much more powerful IDF at bay. It was a

Military attacks that target civilians are in violation of international law and the law of war, yet these have always been and continue to be the targets of choice not only by Arab terrorists and guerrillas but also by the regular armies of Jordan, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq. This is simply historical fact, and no reasonable military historian has eve

Israel is the only country in the history of modern warfare that has never dropped bombs indiscriminately on an enemy city in an effort to kill innocent civilians in retaliation for the deliberate bombing of its own civilians. Even when it attacked those parts of Beirut that were home to terrorists, the Israeli air force made great efforts—although

Moreover, the concept of collective accountability for terrorism that is widely supported by the vast majority of Palestinians and their leadership is entirely consistent with law and morality.

The Israeli army, like every other army in the world, has killed civilians while attacking military targets, especially since the Arab armies and terrorist groups often hide and protect their military targets by deliberately surrounding them with civilian shields. Israel, on the other hand, has isolated its military bases as far as possible from it

In the 1950s, Israel consolidated a comprehensive national security concept that consisted of three elements: deterrence, early warning, and overbalance. At the basis of this concept stood the realization that Israel was inherently inferior to its enemies, and military strength was vital to ensuring its existence and security.