Dahiya doctrine

The Dahiya doctrine is a concept said to be used in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) regarding asymmetric warfare in an urban setting, according to which a conventional army targets civilian infrastructure that is used by terrorists. However, the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict describes it as, "the application of disproportionate force and the causing of great damage and destruction to civilian property and infrastructure, and suffering to civilian populations." Richard Goldstone questioned the doctrine himself when referring to its effects during the Gaza conflict, saying, "If that isn’t collective punishment, what is?" The concept is named after a district in southern Beirut where the IDF bombed large apartment buildings which were being used as command-and-control centers by Hizbullah during the 2006 Lebanon War.

Israeli journalist Yaron London opined in 2008 that the Dahiya strategy or doctrine "will become entrenched in our security discourse" following the Iranian takeover of Lebanon and the mobilization of the latter country's entire social infrastructure in support of Hizbullah. London regretted that the doctrine had not taken hold following Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon or Israel's disengagement from Gaza. He also argued that the strategy "is the customary doctrine adopted by most Arabs", who view 'Zionists' as criminals, yet regard all of Israel’s citizens as 'Zionists'.

The 2009 Goldstone report argued that IDF Northern Command Chief Gadi Eisenkot "expressed the premise of the doctrine" in remarks made in 2008. He said: "What happened in the Dahiya quarter of Beirut in 2006 will happen in every village from which Israel is fired on. We will apply disproportionate force on it and cause great damage and destruction there. From our standpoint, these are not civilian villages, they are military bases. [...] This is not a recommendation. This is a plan. And it has been approved."

A 2009 report by the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel defines the doctrine thus: "The military approach expressed in the Dahiye Doctrine deals with asymmetrical combat against an enemy that is not a regular army and is embedded within civilian population; its objective is to avoid a protracted guerilla war. According to this approach Israel has to employ tremendous force disproportionate to the magnitude of the enemy’s actions." The report further argues that the doctrine was fully implemented during Operation Cast Lead.

See also

• Counter-terrorism
• Counter-insurgency
• Fourth generation warfare
• Arab-Israeli conflict

• Israeli-Lebanese conflict
• Israeli-Palestinian conflict
• International law and the Arab-Israeli conflict

• IDF doctrine, IDF Code of Conduct