Does Israel recognize the Fourth Geneva Convention?
Israeli recognizes the Fourth Geneva Convention in general, but it does not formally recognize its applicability to the West Bank and Gaza because of complex issues relating to sovereignty. Although Israel doesn t recognize its formal applicability, it has pledged to abide by it. To simplify: Israel does recognize all the principles in the Convention relating to the use of force. Q: What aspects of international law must be applied to the clashes themselves? You must distinguish between two issues when applying international law to these clashes. One is the action of the Israel Defense Forces toward civilians. The other is the action of the IDF toward fighters. Israel has a responsibility toward civilians. The first duty, of course, is to protect them as much as possible. This implies no acts of punishment, neither individual nor collective. The point is that any act should be designed in a way to reduce civilian casualties as much as possible. Q: Is that happening? According to Israel
