READER STEPHEN CLARK has a question:

A simple question asked in the context of recent events and prior discussions of the Geneva Accords: Why hasn’t the International Committee of the Red Cross demanded access to the Israeli soldiers taken in Gaza and in northern Israel? The same could be asked for any other relevant organizations as well as governments who’ve recently been concerned with the treatment of non-uniformed combatants.

Certainly the soldier taken into Gaza is the responsibility of the quasi-Palestinian state and surely deserving of Geneva protections. Hezbollah while not a state or quasi-state has at least as much stature as Al Qaeda and it seems that the international community believes that Geneva extends to Al Qaeda’s representatives; so, why would it not also extend to uniformed soldiers held by Hezbollah which, I believe, has declared itself to be at war with the state of Israel.

Because, of course, the Geneva Conventions only apply against Israel, and the United States, never to their benefit. You can look it up.

UPDATE: My snark is in error. Reader Eric Levy-Myers notes that the ICRC has made some noise on behalf of the kidnapped Israeli soldiers, though I hadn’t seen any coverage before.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Stephen Clark responds:

Thanks for posting my question! I found the response and link provided by Eric Levy-Myers interesting. However, my question still stands and your comment remains relevant for two reasons: First, my question while directed principally to the ICRC was also directed to the many other individuals, organizations, and governments who have participated in the recent discussions of Geneva and its relevance to Al Qaeda and non-uniformed combatants generally; their relative silence now and in the past speaks volumes. Second, note that in the linked article from the JPost you find the following passage: “Outside the Middle East, Stillheart said, ‘we are often able to visit hostages. I remember a case in Peru when an embassy was occupied for a long time and we were allowed to see them. But in this context here, we have never been allowed to visit Israeli soldiers captured by a group.'” It is noted in the opening paragraph that Hezbollah refuses to provide even the names of the soldiers they hold much less the contact requested by the ICRC. Consider too the past cases also described in this article. If anything, the linked article reinforces the basic thrust of the question I asked as well as your accompanying comment.

Well, it’s certainly true that Hezbollah isn’t following the Geneva Convention. (And that’s leaving aside the whole deliberately-targeting-bar-mitzvahs thing.) But that’s true in a lot of ways, and it’s certainly also true that the volume of outrage directed at them is much lower than the volume of outrage directed at Israel and the United States for far less serious infractions.