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Source: https://www.jpost.com/international/article-738942
Justifications of Efrat Residents' Murder Is Contrary to International Law
(Jerusalem Post) Michael Starr - Some commentators have argued that the residence of a mother and her two children in Efrat, in disputed territory, meant that they were not civilians and thereby the use of violence against them was legitimate. Such a standard is against the protections afforded to civilians under international law and, if applied generally, would legitimize human rights atrocities around the world. One of the main principles of international humanitarian law (IHL) is that of distinction, enshrined in Additional Protocol I, Article 48 of the Geneva Conventions, that civilians must be distinguished from combatants. Only military targets are permissible. The protected status of civilians is ironclad. Residing in disputed territory does not remove civilian status. Under IHL, states and non-state armed groups are obligated to actively avoid harming civilians.