Adam Taylor passes along the above video of an Israeli “roof knock”:
“Knocking the roof” is the Israeli military practice of warning the residents of a building they are targeting that they should get out. Warnings can come via a phone call or a warning missile: In this case, the occupant of the house, Samir Nofal, received both, Watania reports. The practice has become one of the most controversial aspects of the current conflict. … When a specific building is due to be targeted, Israel may call an occupant, or fire a small missile at the building. That’s the final warning: Get out now, or you will die.
The Israel Defense Force (IDF) is open about this tactic. It recently released this video which includes a transcript of a phone call and a video of a “knock on the roof.” Despite the IDF’s apparent confidence in the tactic, critics see flaws. The phone calls show how much of Gaza’s communication networks are in Israeli control, for example, while others say that the “warnings” are not always followed up with an attack: A worrying tactic that might be considered psychological warfare.
Eyal Weizman calls the IDF’s warning shots an abuse of international law:
Israeli military lawyers argue that if residents are warned, and do not evacuate, then they can be considered legitimate collateral damage. Under this interpretation of the law, the civilian victims become human shields. This is a gross misuse of international law. It is illegal to fire at civilians, even if the intention is to warn them. It is ridiculous to ask them to understand, in the commotion and chaos of war, that being shot at is a warning – and it is outrageous to claim that this is undertaken to save their lives.
International law should protect civilians. In Gaza, it is being abused in order to enable attacks where attacks should not be undertaken at all.
Update from a reader:
Quick note regarding the video about IDF “roof knocks” that you posted this afternoon; I am not invested in either side of the tragic conflict in any way, but it is worth mentioning that the video you posted has been edited. Watch the tree and the smoke at the 1:14 mark. I thought it worth pointing out.
Another is more skeptical:
That video is likely pure propaganda. Watch the smoke start to billow out of the side window around the 1:11 mark. Notice the bush gently swaying? Then a complete reset at the 1:16 mark. Smoke is gone. The lighting has even changed. By the time the building goes, I’m not even sure any more that the entire thing wasn’t staged.
The Dish 