Gaddafi Using Human Shields--Now Where Did He Get That Idea From?

But what is the true crime here is that the UN has actually encouraged Hamas as a result of this [Goldstone] report because it can clearly see that by provoking Israel to defend itself and thereby increasing the chances that some errant Israeli soldier will commit a crime, it can act with impunity and get the whole weight of world opinion against Israel and orchestrated by the UN.
Ray Cook, Has Goldstone really recanted? And what is the true impact of his Washington Post op-ed?

The Washington Post is reporting that NATO says Gaddafi forces are using human shields:

Libyan military commanders loyal to Moammar Gaddafi are blunting the impact of NATO’s air campaign by hiding tanks and artillery in densely populated areas where the alliance’s fighter planes cannot easily reach them, U.S. and European diplomats said Wednesday.


The shift in tactics has meant fewer targets for NATO warplanes, fueling complaints by rebels who say the quality of air support has plummeted since the United States turned over command of Libyan operations to NATO. Opposition leaders say Gaddafi’s forces are inflicting particularly heavy casualties on civilians in the rebel-held city of Misurata, where dug-in loyalists have been operating with little interference from NATO missiles and bombs.

NATO officials in Brussels acknowledged carrying out fewer strikes around Misurata because of fears of inadvertently killing civilians in areas where the Libyan military was cheek by jowl with civilians.

Now where in the world could Gaddafi had gotten the idea to do such a thing?
And why in the world would Gaddafi think he could get away with putting civilians in danger like that?

Well, we know that Hamas uses human shields.



And Hezbollah has used civilian areas--and even UN posts--as cover for firing into Israel.

Maybe Gaddafi noticed, as Elder of Ziyon illustrates, that Hamas is barely mentioned in the conclusion of the Goldstone Report:

Maybe Gaddafi noticed how easily a terrorist group like Hamas has escaped responsibility:

The Hamas de-facto administration and its leaders are never accused of responsibility for terrorism and firing rockets. Rather, nebulous “Palestinian armed groups” are responsible. The theme is repeated in the report’s few references to Palestinian terrorism . . . . 

The issue of Hamas’ invisible responsibility for war crimes, like many other claims made by the report, shows that it is a masterpiece of deception and manipulation whose only intention is to frame Israel for war crimes and exonerate Hamas.

So it is no wonder that besides using human shields, the Libyan government knows exactly what to say when coalition forces kill civilians:

He [Libyan Spokesman Moussa Ibrahim] also condemned recent coalition air strikes as "a crime against humanity" and said there had been civilian casualties in one attack on Thursday.

Yes, Libya has learned its lesson well--from both terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, and from the indifference of the Goldstone Report and those who support it.

Technorati Tag: Libya and Goldstone Report.