When I posted last month about war crimes in Gaza, a number of people emailed me to ask how I could assume that Israel had committed war crimes. I hadn't in fact assumed it, merely recognized that it was possible in the circumstances. My focus, in any case, was on the way that war crimes accusations arising from that conflict were skewed by those hostile to Israel who focused on Israel alone, when the journalistic evidence, such as it was, indicated that Hamas for its part might well be guilty of war crimes.
Whether or not war crimes have been committed by the IDF in Gaza isn't determined by one's support for Israel or one's hostility to it. It depends on the facts of the case. Reports from Haaretz now being relayed through the world's press suggest that Israeli soldiers have indeed committed war crimes. This is a stain on the IDF. Friends and supporters of Israel should look to it to investigate thoroughly why it has happened and what needs to be done to guard against its happening again. In this matter as in most others, turning one's eyes away from what you'd prefer not to be the case doesn't help the cause you think to support by doing so.
