We have recently had military bases in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, but obviously those are gone.
The FOBs are still there. Somebody else simply controls them.
It is not the most menacing weapon by a long shot, but could be used to shoot down planes in another country.
That would not be easy to do. You would need a high-priced contracting firm to modify the missiles to operate outside their range and normal flight parameters. You could do it, but you would be much better off just building a weapon system for that purpose.
Not as cut and dry as that.
It is exactly that cut&dried.
First off, Israel already legally occupied Gaza.
Immaterial. You are quibbling over exactly when they became completely responsible for the safety and welfare of every civilian noncombatant. Israel became responsible the very moment the IDF became the controlling force, regardless of who could do what legally.
Legally, this was like the US moving forces into Florida.
Incorrect. The Gazans are not Israeli citizens. The Fourth Geneva Convention covers this rather thoroughly.
It is not an international war.
Immaterial. The Fourth Geneva Convention cares nothing for irrelevant labels and meaningless categories.
Second, the IDF was attacking forces that had attacked Israeli civilians.
Incorrect. The IDF immediately began sending air strikes into densely populated areas. This is an egregious violation of the Geneva Convention that is summarily prohibited everywhere.
Additionally, the IDF was not going after anyone in particular; they were just slaughtering Arabs. Yes, they would periodically claim to have killed a "Hamas leader" knowing that people like you and others on
Team Israel would just therefore consider the genocide completely justified. It is not. Al Qassam militants attacked Israel as Iran's proxy and most of them escaped right after the attack. The IDF was simply engaging in collective punishment, which is summarily prohibited by the Convention against Genocide. I realize that Americans are often inclined to believe all press releases issued by Israel. Americans are stupid in that respect.
This is not even a preemptive attack, it is a counter strike.
Nope. the IDF did not invade Iran.
That is generally allowed.
... only if every lawful noncombatant is actively protected, and ensured to have plenty of food, water, shelter and medical care, .... not slaughtered on sight, or in cowardly fashion by an air strike into a large structure that kills all the occupants and destroys the structure, i.e. killing two birds with one stone.
The IDF is probably allowing famine.
"Famine" is not the right word. The IDF is deliberately causing starvation. They intentionally blockaded food, water, fuel, medicine and other supplies.
They are technically not occupying the place where the civilians are now,
The IDF is the
de facto controlling force in Gaza. It doesn't matter that there aren't any civilians where the IDF has killed them all.
Also the IDF has not done as much as they could to prevent civilian casualties.
They are slaughtering civilian non-combatants in an attempted genocide. Saying that they have not done as much as they could to prevent casualties is a bit of a euphemism.
Here too is a gray area, because Hamas is using those civilians as human shields.
That's one of those catch phrases that all
Team Israel members are required to regurgitate, believing that it is some sort of trump card. Obviously there is no hiding behind human shields because that's not an option. The IDF is shooting the would-be shields. The action of "hiding behind human shields" can only work if the IDF is respecting and protecting the lawful noncombatants, thus making them human shields. If the IDF is simply slaughtering all in their path then there aren't any human shields behind whom to hide. That's what is going on. It's a genocide, after all. Nakba 2.0 is here.
