Gaza clashes: Israel's methods should be questioned

The Hamas terror group said today that it has reached a cease-fire agreement with Israel, after it carried out air strikes in retaliation for rocket fire attacks from Gaza.

Israel is denying such claims - another reason Israel's methods should be questioned, says Yael Aronoff, director of Michigan State University's Jewish Studies Program and the Serling Chair in Israel Studies.

"All countries have a right to protect their borders and illegal entry at their borders, especially when some are from Hamas, which still formally calls for Israel's destruction. Yet, the number of Palestinians killed calls into question the methods used by Israel. Israel contends that many of the people at the border are not peaceful and that it first uses non-lethal measures and only uses lethal measures as a last resort to protect the border. Israel also contends that it is criticized when non-militants are killed, but that Palestinians intentionally fire from smoky areas, which makes it more difficult for them to distinguish civilians from non-civilians. Palestinians claim that Israel should not be using lethal force, and that civilians are also being killed. However, some in the Palestinian Authority have also criticized Hamas for encouraging civilians, and even children, to come close to the border and try to cross it.”

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