On September 17, pagers exploded across Lebanon. According to a UN press release, as of 9/19, 32 people were killed and 3,250 wounded. An NPR article states that a “U.S. official told NPR that Israel told the U.S. it carried out the attack.” The deaths resulting from the exploding pagers were not only Hezbollah fighters, but many civilians including two children. Surveillance video from a grocery store showed a small handheld device next to a cashier exploding. Other pagers exploded throughout southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah has a strong presence. After the explosion, hospitals saw an influx of patients who had been injured by the attack, suffering with wounds to the face, eyes, and hands. The following day more explosions occurred, this time with walkie-talkies.
A Violation of International Law
Human rights and international watchdog groups called for an investigation of the attack. The day after the explosions, Lama Fakih, Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa director posted this on X: “Lebanon: International law prohibits the use of booby traps precisely to avoid the devastating scenes that continue to unfold across Lebanon today. A prompt and impartial investigation into the exploding pager attacks should be urgently conducted.”
Ms. Fakih was referring to the international treaty signed by more than one hundred countries, including Israel, which bans “the use of booby traps or other devices in the form of apparently harmless portable objects that are specifically designed and constructed to contain explosive material.” A booby trap is defined as “any device designed or adapted to kill or injure, and which functions unexpectedly when a person disturbs or approaches an apparently harmless object,” according to Article 7 of a 1996 additional protocol of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
Hezbollah members used pagers, wireless telecommunications devices that receive and display messages, as a means of communicating with one another in attempts to avoid Israeli surveillance. The New York Times reported that Israel hid explosive material in the Taiwan-made Gold Apollo pagers before they were imported to Lebanon. Inside the pager, the explosive material was placed next to the battery with a switch that could be triggered remotely to detonate. It is believed that a message was sent to thousands of pagers and triggered the explosives.
While a plain reading of the treaty and description of the explosive device demonstrates that this was a coordinated attack using everyday objects, there are some that say it still might not be considered a violation of international law. Retired Lieutenant Charles Faint at West Point, said that if Israel actually intended to target Hezbollah fighters knowing they used pagers for secret messages, then that would be considered a “legitimate target” and therefore would not violate international law. However, international law also prohibits indiscriminate attacks that “are not directed at a specific military objective.” Using a method of war, however, that creates no distinction between civilians and combatants is a violation of international law.
Some go even further than justifying the attack. Srulik Einhorn, in an opinion piece in The Jerusalem Post, glorified the operation, writing this: “This operation stands as one of the most successful military feats since the Second World War—not only because of its flawless execution but because Israel achieved something unprecedented: the most precisely targeted anti-terrorist operation in the history of the world. This was not just a disruption of terrorist capabilities but also a psychological dismantling of the minds of tens of thousands of Hezbollah members. Even those who were not physically harmed are now mentally wounded. Their mindset will never be the same. They will no longer view a refrigerator, microwave, or light bulb in the same way. Until their last day, they will never feel safe, no matter where they are. They will live in constant fear of what might explode next.”
This kind of mindset does not bode well for the world.
Looking at the Bigger Picture
Since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, Israel has repeatedly shown that it does not care to abide by international law in its retaliation. This can be seen through both their words and actions. Over the last year, the world has witnessed countless attacks on hospitals, schools, mosques, and churches in Gaza. Israel has targeted refugee camps and people sleeping in tents, and there have been reports of IDF soldiers running over bodies, both dead and alive, with tanks. Israel has also stopped aid from entering the country and created a man-made famine and a hotbed for disease.
According to an NBC news report on October 14, the “Israeli military has launched a series of deadly strikes in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, including on a flour distribution center, a school and a hospital where displaced Palestinians were sheltering.” Even areas designated by Israel itself as safe zones for Palestinians have been targeted. An Israeli air strike in Deir el-Balah was near a hospital which had been designated by Israel as safe so Palestinians could bring their children for a polio vaccine. Ilan Pappe, an Israeli historian who supports economic, political, and academic boycotts of Israel, was interviewed after the strike and had this to say: “We’ve been here before…when supposedly safe zones for Palestinians in Gaza were bombed, this keeps repeating itself.” Pappe states that Netanyahu “would do everything possible to make sure that there are no conditions or circumstances for ending the Israeli genocidal attack on Gaza.”
Israel claims to be searching for Hamas fighters, but in reality, their objective is to clear the land for settlement purposes. If Israel had any respect for international law, there wouldn’t be mass casualties of civilians with entire cities and towns destroyed. Given Israel’s actions over the last year, and the fact that major powers like the United States have turned a blind eye to the abuses of international law, I believe the international bodies and their laws are at risk. While the ultimate arbiter of human rights law, the United Nations, has largely denounced Israel for their actions, they have failed to act in a way that would definitively push Israel to stop. I fear that Israel’s ability to act in such unlawful ways without repercussion by the international community will set a precedent for continued erosion of international law. If Israel can get away with this, so can other nations. Therefore, to preserve the sanctity of international law, Israel must be held accountable.
