By Henry Sokolski
Although it received scant attention, one of the first objects Israel’s military targeted was Gaza’s electrical generating plants. Israel was legally free to do so because it is not a party to Protocol 1 of the Geneva Conventions — an international treaty that discourages military attacks against civilian assets.
In contrast, The United States and all its key allies have signed or ratified Protocol 1, which discourages military assaults against such objects. The Protocol also discourages strikes against nuclear power plants if such assaults could result in the release of “dangerous forces” — e.g., harmful radiation.
The Pentagon, however, has pushed back against this. It insists that if it is “necessary,” U.S. military commanders may attack civilian facilities even if doing so would severely harm innocent civilians. This includes the electrical grid, and even power reactors. What is awkward is that Putin’s military, which is assaulting Ukraine’s electrical system and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, has embraced this position.
All of this raises the question of what America’s future policy should be. Should the United States double down on the Pentagon’s stance or revise its policy in light of recent developments?