"The use of the civilian population by Hamas is undoubtedly a war crime" IDF 19 Nov 12 Twitter

[Col. Richard Kemp: IDF protects civilian rights: In an exclusive interview, the respected British commander discusses the IDF's commitment to protecting civilians by Yair Barzilai] "Before Operation Pillar of Defense, the last air raid siren to go off in the greater Tel Aviv area warned of Saddam Hussein's Scud missiles. At the time, in January of 1991, Col. Richard Kemp – then a captain in the British Army's Royal Anglian Regiment – was stationed in the area of the Persian Gulf. In the 21 years since then, Col. Kemp has participated in a number of the British Army's campaigns, eventually reaching the position of Commander of British Forces in Afghanistan.

During the aftermath of Operation Cast Lead in 2009, he testified in front of the United Nations Human Rights Council, famously declaring, "During Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli Defense Forces did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in the combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare."

He has now returned to Tel Aviv to observe Operation Pillar of Defense, and he recently sat down for an exclusive interview with the IDF Website.

"I wanted to gain a firsthand understanding of what is happening today in the Gaza conflict, because in my experience there is no substitute for seeing things as close as you can and talking to people who are directly involved in them," he explained.

Col. Kemp does not see himself as having a pro-Israel stance, but rather as being committed to spreading the truth in all regions of the world. "People ask me why I have a pro-IDF point of view. I consider myself as having an objective view of what's happening over here. The IDF does not need me to defend them; they have proven it over the years," he said. "It's the dispassionate military perspective that I bring."

And it is that perspective that Col. Kemp brings to bear on the conflict. He noted several unacceptable tactics that Hamas uses, such as abusing its own civilian population by using Palestinian civilians as human shields. "The use of the civilian population by Hamas is undoubtedly a war crime because not only are they hiding themselves under a civilian population, [but] they are also putting the civilian population at risk. In my view, if there are civilian casualties, the responsibility does not lie with the IDF, but with Hamas, who deliberately placed them there..." Full text: Col. Richard Kemp: IDF protects civilian rights Ge 16:12

Col. Richard Kemp: IDF protects civilian rights