The concept of proportionality – or as it is more often presented, ‘disproportionality’ – has long been a theme that is widely used in BBC reporting on armed conflicts involving Israel. However, contrary to the narrative frequently advanced by the BBC, that concept does not relate to the relative numbers of people killed on either side.
“Proportionality in war does not mean balancing number of lives lost, or buildings leveled, or dollars in damage. Proportionality is one of the core principles of the law of war—to which all recognized states have agreed. Distorting the meaning of the term undermines the values it is meant to protect.”
Another key point which has not been adequately explained to BBC audiences over the years is that the concept of proportionality relates to specific incidents.
“Crucially, proportionality is calculated based on the expected outcome as perceived by the attacker at the time of the attack; essential information in this regard is possessed solely by the Israeli army and is not known by NGOs and the media. Proportionality cannot be determined by second guessing after the fact because of the number of allegedly civilian casualties.
Furthermore, proportionality is restricted to each individual strike. A high number of overall casualties in the conflict, while tragic, does not per se affect the legality of the operation.”