Dear Editor,

The current conflict in the Palestinian territories (and in Ukraine) begs the question, is it a war crime to target civilian populations? Post WWII, the world came together to sign the Geneva Conventions, to guarantee basic rules for humanitarian treatment of everyone in armed conflicts. 196 countries are signatories.

According to these Conventions, Article 53 states “The use of starvation of the civilian population as a method of warfare is prohibited.”

Article 6 states, “Civilians are protected against attack, unless and for such time as they take direct part in hostilities.”

Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, “prohibits collective punishment, intimidation, terrorism, pillage, and reprisals against protected persons and their property. It emphasizes individual responsibility, stating that no protected person should be punished for an offense they did not personally commit.”

Article 70 states, “In the distribution of relief consignments, priority shall be given to those persons, such as children, expectant mothers, maternity cases and nursing mothers, who, under the Fourth Convention or under this Protocol, are to be accorded privileged treatment or special protection.”

Article 9 recognizes the right of the ICRC to assist the wounded and sick. Red Cross and Red Crescent national societies, other authorized impartial relief organizations and neutral governments may also provide humanitarian service.

Article 14 states that “hospital and safety zones may be established for the wounded, sick, and aged, children under 15, expectant mothers and mothers of children under seven.”

Article 18 Civilian hospitals and their staff are to be protected. 

At the same time, Article 97 states, “The use of human shields is prohibited.”  Therein lies the rub.  It is widely stated that Israel has the right to defend itself.  The Israelis have maintained that the bombing of hospitals and medical facilities are justified because Hamas has been using them as shields.

The WHO has reported that between October 7, 2023, and September 2024 there were 492 attacks on healthcare facilities in Gaza with 492 individuals killed. That is after only the first year of this conflict, now going on 2.5 years. In addition, Israel used 2,000 lb bombs to level whole areas of the Gaza, claiming somehow a Hamas operation was present, blowing up countless civilians in its wake. That’s how we get to 52,000 dead Palestinians so far.   

How are we then to view the current debate in the US, especially on college campuses, about “antisemitism”? Let’s be clear, antisemitism is real. Antisemitism refers to actions, statements, or attitudes that show hatred or discrimination towards Jewish people in general. For example, people still deny that the holocaust ever occurred.   

So, is it against all Jews as a religion to protest against the widespread killing of Palestinians in Gaza or the destruction of homes and towns and expansion of settlements in the West Bank?  “Antisemitism” is used as justification for arresting many college students who have protested the Israeli destruction of the Palestinian homeland. The US administration seems to conclude that ANY criticism of Israeli actions is automatically considered antisemitic, and if that person is foreign born, then it can revoke their visa.  

We now have a new crisis. Since the end of the first ceasefire on March 2, 2025, Israel has cut off all aid to the Palestinians. At the time of this writing, that is roughly 55 days without food, clean water, fuel, and medical supplies with over a million civilians caught in the crossfire.  Israel began this blockade of all aid to the civilian population to force Hamas to the bargaining table. This appears to be clearly against the Geneva Conventions. 

In addition, NPR reported that nearly 140 rescue workers have been killed on the job in Gaza during this war. The Israeli military has not investigated many of these killings, but one attack last month that killed 15 emergency workers sparked a rare high-level inquiry.  

The Israeli commander of the unit that killed these 15 aid workers in Gaza is quoted as saying, "Anyone we encounter is an enemy. We identify a figure, we eliminate it." He says this is how to free Israeli hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza, a message echoed by Israeli leadership. This commander's deputy was dismissed following an initial investigation for allegedly ordering his troops to open fire claiming that the ambulances had their lights turned off and were driving erratically. Later cell phone footage showed in fact that the ambulances and a fire truck had their flashing lights turned on. What’s more, the video shows that the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) shot many of these aid workers at point blank range despite wearing reflective vests indicating their affiliation with the Red Crescent. The IDF continued shooting for over three minutes. Later, 15 bodies were unearthed in a mass grave. Israeli soldiers buried them there and bulldozed the ambulances into the sand, crushing the vehicles in the process. Does that imply a coverup? 

Also, more than 200 journalists and media workers have been killed by Israeli forces since October 2023, according to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, making it the deadliest ever conflict for journalists. Many believe they were targeted by Israel.  Foreign journalists are not admitted into the war zone. Does this hint at a coverup? 

A similar atrocity was committed in the killing of the five Central Food Kitchen volunteers, including Chef Mahmoud who ran a soup kitchen for the most vulnerable. He opened a school with a sign on the roof in Hebrew and English reading, "Please don't bomb." 

In a recent NPR report, one of the most radical Israeli members of Netanyahu’s cabinet was feted at Mar a Lago recently where he said that it would be acceptable to bomb food distribution areas in Gaza. Netanyahu has maintained his position as Prime Minster (and avoided a trial for corruption) by aligning with these hard right members of his cabinet. 

In the meantime, any collective hope of a two-state solution to the Palestinian plight is getting further away.  

Is Netanyahu guilty of war crimes? South Africa thinks so. In a hearing in front of the International Court of Justice (the ICJ) in January, it accused Israel of genocide and asked for an arrest warrant for Netanyahu. At that time, according to CNN and AP the ICJ ordered Israel “to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide against Palestinians in the territory. It stopped short of ordering a cease-fire. It also ruled Israel must urgently get basic humanitarian aid to Gaza and submit a report on steps taken to abide by the ruling within a month.” This was before the current cut off of all aid.

Did they comply? No. Do we still give them c. $4 billion a year? Yes. Do we use this as leverage to help the Palestinians? No. 

Where is our collective outrage as a nation at this indiscriminate killing and war of terror on civilians? As Pope Francis, our mentor and teacher, is laid to rest, one has to ask, where is our compassion for these poor folks caught in this web? And why is a person punished for protesting these obvious human rights violations?   

Bill Thibedeau

Gilpin County