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Judgments of the Israel Supreme Court: Fighting Terrorism within ...

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administrative law which applies to <strong>the</strong> area under belligerent occupation. We<br />

shall now briefly discuss each <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se.<br />

37. Proportionality is recognized today as a general principle <strong>of</strong> international<br />

law. See Meron, at 65; R. Higgins, Problems and Process: International Law<br />

and How We Use It 219 (1994); Delbruck, Proportionality, 3 Encyclopedia<br />

<strong>of</strong> Public International Law 1140, 1144 (1997). Proportionality plays<br />

a central role in <strong>the</strong> law regarding armed conflict. During such conflicts,<br />

<strong>the</strong>re is frequently a need to balance between military needs and humanitarian<br />

considerations. See Gardam, Proportionality and Force in International Law,<br />

87 Am. J. Int’l L. 391 (1993); Garden, Legal Restraints on Security Council<br />

Military Enforcement Action, 17 Mich. J. Int’l L. 285 (1996); Dinstein, Military<br />

Necessity, 3 Encyclopedia <strong>of</strong> Public International Law 395 (1997); Medenica,<br />

Protocol I and Operation Allied Force: Did NATO Abide by Principles<br />

<strong>of</strong> Proportionality ?, 23 Loy. L. A. Int’l & Comp. L. Rev. 329 (2001); Roberts,<br />

The Laws <strong>of</strong> War in <strong>the</strong> War on Terror, 32 Isr. Yearbook <strong>of</strong> Hum. Rights. 1999<br />

(2002). Proportionality is a standard for balancing. Pictet writes:<br />

In modern terms, <strong>the</strong> conduct <strong>of</strong> hostilities, and, at all times <strong>the</strong> maintenance <strong>of</strong> public<br />

order, must not treat with disrespect <strong>the</strong> irreducible demands <strong>of</strong> humanitarian law.<br />

From <strong>the</strong> foregoing principle springs <strong>the</strong> Principle <strong>of</strong> Humanitarian Law (or that <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> law <strong>of</strong> war):<br />

Belligerents shall not inflict harm on <strong>the</strong>ir adversaries out <strong>of</strong> proportion with <strong>the</strong><br />

object <strong>of</strong> warfare, which is to destroy or weaken <strong>the</strong> strength <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> enemy.<br />

J. S. Pictet, Developments and Principles <strong>of</strong> International Humanitarian<br />

Law 62 (1985). Similarly, Fenrick has stated:<br />

[T]here is a requirement for a subordinate rule to perform <strong>the</strong> balancing function between<br />

military and humanitarian requirements. This rule is <strong>the</strong> rule <strong>of</strong> proportionality.<br />

Fenrick, The Rule <strong>of</strong> Proportionality and Protocol I in Conventional<br />

Warfare, 98 Military L. Rev. 91, 94 (1982). Gasser repeats <strong>the</strong> same idea:<br />

International humanitarian law takes into account losses and damage as incidental<br />

consequences <strong>of</strong> (lawful) military operations … The criterion is <strong>the</strong> principle <strong>of</strong><br />

proportionality.<br />

34

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