Israeli Attack on Civilian Residence

While consistent with its reliance on extrajudicial assassination to thwart whoever they declare to be terrorists, the Israeli attack upon Salah Shehade's apartment in Gaza City is one of the most transparent uses of force against civilians since the beginning of the intifada.

With Ari Fleischer's criticism of the attack - a Qaddafi-like assault which killed a total of 15, including 9 children - the "White House admitted for the first time a fact that has been apparent to any observer of the conflict since September 29, 2000: Israel uses brutal military force against civilian areas with the full knowledge that civilians will be killed," says Ali Abunimah. "Such wanton disregard for innocent life is the exact moral equivalent of the killing of Israeli innocents in bars, restaurants, buses and shopping malls, and it violates international law," he added.

The Palestinian envoy to the United Nations has asked the ICC to investigate the attack as a "war crime" and leaders from around the world have condemned the assault. Meanwhile, the attack and the backlash have caused a shake-up within Israel's own policy and defense circles.

It is unlikely, though, that this will have much of an effect on the way Israel handles the conflict. Killing large numbers of civilians in an amorphous concept of "self-defense" will continue; just not with such an egregious, easily criticized technique as dropping munitions from F-16s on apartment complexes.