Netanyahu doesn't want peace, he wants endless war

The never-ending slaughter continues in Gaza. Netanyahu is ignoring the pleas and demands of his own people to accept a cease-fire with Hamas.

I'm the first to admit that Hamas are hardly innocent of conducting their war crimes. I am instead concerned with the innocent victims in both Israel and Gaza who have gone from tragedies to mere statistics since the one-sided war began.

Hamas started this war with their brutal and devastating attack last year on innocent Israelis. This event is the latest in a millennial old struggle based on religion and claims to the same land. Israelis contend that they have a historical claim to the land that they vacated through emigration and forced expulsion centuries ago. The Palestinians have lived there even before the Israelis left, but now they are forced to accept the takeover of land that they also have a claim to.

This is the equivalent of Native Americans demanding that the territory of the United States revert to their control because the land was taken from them.

A war criminal commits serious violations of the laws and customs of war, which are defined by international treaties and customary international law. Here are some key actions that constitute war crimes:

1. Intentionally killing civilians or prisoners of war.
2. Torture or inhuman treatment of individuals.
3. Taking hostages.
4. Unlawful deportation or transfer of protected persons.
5. Destruction of civilian property not justified by military necessity.
6. Sexual violence during wartime.
7. Pillaging or looting.
8. Using prohibited weapons or tactics.
9. Conscripting children into armed forces.
10. Ordering or committing genocide or ethnic cleansing¹²³.