House passes ‘human shields’ bill

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning Hezbollah for using human shields in its war against Israel last summer. The non-binding resolution, which passed with more than a two-thirds majority, expressed “deep concern over the use of civilians as ‘human shields’ in violation of international humanitarian law and the law of war during armed conflict, including Hezbollah’s tactic of embedding its forces among civilians to use them as human shields during the summer of 2006 conflict between Hezbollah and the State of Israel.” In remarks, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) noted recent reports that Israeli troops had used Palestinians as shields, while Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) stressed that in Israel, soldiers found guilty of doing so were punished. “People were held responsible in a responsible society,” said Ackerman, who sponsored the bill with Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) “That did not happen with the Hezbollah. That did not happen in Lebanon.” The American Jewish Congress lobbied strongly for the bill.