This is a refreshed megathread for any posts on the conflict between (so far, and so far as I know) Hamas and the Israeli government, as well as related geopolitics. Culture War thread rules apply.
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Notes -
I think there is a lot of grey area between "two recognized countries are fighting a war" and "internal police action". There are civil wars, insurgencies, non-state actors operating out of failed states and all other sorts of corner cases. An occupation requires a hostile army, which I guess requires a state-like entity to which they are hostile. I don't think an army being in some territory where some fraction of the population would rather they were not (which is every army, everywhere) is probably not sufficient.
Also, if something is a human rights violation is somewhat in the eye of the beholder. It is not like the Hague will deploy paratroopers to stop any human rights violation happening within 24 hours.
Politically speaking, if by some miracle Gaza was a recognized independent state, do you think that the people currently protesting that explosion in a hospital parking lot which they assume IDF caused would switch their stance and say "well, I suppose article 51 gives Israel the right to nuke Gaza after being attacked"?
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