Jihad and the rules of war

British commentator Melanie Phillips reports here on a speech by UK Colonel Richard Kemp, former commander of UK troops in Afghanistan and intelligence coordinator for the British government. He argues that that Islamist terrorists in Israel, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere all use the same techniques. Pretending that the situation in Israel is somehow different only weakens the ability of the West to respond to the threat.

He further notes that the Islamists do not ignore the international law of armed conflicts. On the contrary, they study it closely so that they can exploit the vulnerabilities of forces bound by those rules. Hence, for example, the frequency with which Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Taliban hide among the civilian population.

None of this should come as any surprise - it's unfortunate that so few people, though, are willing to acknowledge it.