IDF general: Troops lacking food can steal from Lebanese stores

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

""If our fighters deep in Lebanese territory are left without food our water, I believe they can break into local Lebanese stores to solve that problem," Brigadier General Avi Mizrahi, the head of the Israel Defense Forces logistics branch, said Monday.

Mizrahi's comments followed complaints by IDF soldiers regarding the lack of food on the front lines.

"If what they need to do is take water from the stores, they can take," Mizrahi told Army Radio."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/750384.html

[fooj]

1. WTF has happened to humanity?

It's heartbreaking. :cry:

The ENTITLEMENT some people believe they have is extraordinary.

[htuttle]

2. Isn't "pillaging" disallowed under international law?

[Igel]

11. To trivialize pillaging down to stealing bottled water for

personal consumption is to seek out provocation.

The Soviets pillaged. They'd take a German town, and anything of value was bundled up and shipped home. We're talking gold and silver.

And manufacturing plants. Farm equipment. Food stores in warehouses. Livestock.

The Germans were no better.

When the war was over, the pillaged would find that they had no food in town, no farm equipment, no livestock, no equipment for manufacturing.

[htuttle]

12. Well, I never compared this to those actions

A couple of soldiers stealing bottled water is one thing. Having a general officially condone, and probably order, widespread theft of supplies (such as you'd need to support all your forward troops) seems to me to make it 'pillaging'.

It doesn't have to be as bad as the Soviets and Germans in WWII to still be against International Law.

[mike_c]

3. that's a Geneva Conventions violation IIRC....

Not that Israel has ever appeared to care about GC violations, and in the list of Israel's war crimes this one is pretty minor.

[Scurrilous]

5. War crimes:

1. The Court shall have jurisdiction in respect of war crimes in particular when committed as part of a plan or policy or as part of a large-scale commission of such crimes.

2. For the purpose of this Statute, "war crimes" means:

b) Other serious violations of the laws and customs applicable in international armed conflict, within the established framework of international law, namely, any of the following acts:

(xvi) Pillaging a town or place, even when taken by assault.

http://www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/iwpList409/A89B415B7EB8153FC1256D4E003BC9EA

[RaleighNCDUer]

4. Gee, it sounds like Haliburton must have the contract to supply

their field troops, too.

[endarkenment]

6. Is he saying that IDF has forces that are cut off?

What the heck. Out of curiosity, does the Lebanese Army have the right under the terms of the ceasefire to defend the property of the people from looting and pillaging by IDF forces?

What sort of bullshit is this?

[tnlefty]

7. In NOLA they'd be referred to as looters!

Ooops, I forgot, that's only for darker skinned folks taking needed food and water from stores.

[UndertheOcean]

8. Well , if you continously kill civilians , mere stealing is nothing in ..

comparison...

[Scurrilous]

9. Whoops...strike that comment:

IDF: Comments attributed to head of logistics branch incorrect

<snip>

"The IDF Spokesman's Office said Monday that comments attributed to Brigadier General Avi Mizrahi, the head of the army's logistics branch, to the effect that soldiers deep inside Lebanese territory without food could steal from local stores, had not been made by him."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/750463.html

[IntiRaymi]

10. The IDF has hit bottom.

If they can't protect a 20 odd kilometer long supply trains, then they are virtually ineffective as a force of occupation.
Anyone knows this. Napoleon did, Gustavus Adolphus did, the US Army is big on this, this is standard knowledge - nothing detracts from your mission more than the complete and utter loss of legitimacy. Wars are waged at ALL levels, top-down, and this is grave error, at the highest level, to have to resort to forcible expropriations for sustenance.