(Chicago Tribune) Steven Lubet - Even if you are unconcerned about the lives of Israeli civilians, a portion of the International Court of Justice's opinion should be alarming to every American. Israel contended that the barrier was justified by its "inherent right to self-defense," as permitted by the UN charter and various UN Security Council resolutions. Sorry, said the court. The right of self-defense applies only "in the case of an armed attack by one state against another state," which evidently excludes Palestinian terrorists. That same chilling logic would mean that the U.S. (and other countries) could not fully exercise the right of self-defense against al-Qaeda terrorists since they do not represent a state any more than Hamas does.
2004-07-16 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive