Recent conflict between Hamas and Israeli troops has led Amnesty International to call for an arms embargo. According to CNN.com, Amnesty International and the United Nations believe that both parties are guilty of using their weapons outside the parameters of battle and of committing other crimes against humanity.

The weapons used in the Gaza conflict have claimed the lives of 1,434 Palestinians, 960 of whom were civilians, and roughly 10 Israelis, according to Richard Falk, U.N. special rapporteur.

“It (the embargo) is not going to be upheld on both ends of the bargain,” said Max Spitalnick, sophomore and co-president of Hillel. “Weapons are going to be there either way.”

Beginning in 2005, Hamas has been firing Quassam rockets from schools, hospitals and mosques. One instance of a Hamas soldier deliberately moving his rocket in front of a U.N. school was caught on tape recently and put on YouTube, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In another instance, according to btselem.org, Israeli troops used residents of two buildings in a town in the Gaza Strip as shields during a battle with Hamas soldiers.

Assistant Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies Amal Khoury believes that the protection of civilians is crucial, especially in areas like Gaza that are so populated that buildings are built on top of each other and civilians don’t have many places to which they can safely run.

Another issue contributing to the arms embargo is the use of white phosphorus. It is a legal substance as stated by the Chemical Council; however, when used in a densely populated area has been found to leave a residue that can cause chemical burns.

Israeli troops used smoke screens containing white phosphorus in the village of Sheikh Ajilin in western Gaza. The villagers complained of chemical burns on their feet from the residue left on the ground, and one 16-year-old male was taken to Egypt for treatment of burns to his face and body, according to timesonline.co.uk.

“Israeli war crimes are not right and should be condemned, but how are they going to commit as many as Hamas?” Spitalnick said.

Senior Osama Sabbah believes that Hamas is simply reacting to the oppression that they have felt from their citizens and the world at large. Sabbah grew up in Palestine and his family still resides there.

“This is all in the power of the United States and allies and although I believe it is a problem to use these weapons because it hurts civilians, it is not going to change because all decisions are made by world powers,” Sabbah said. “You can blame Israel and Palestine but it is really the United States.”

The United States has been assisting Israel financially for many years but recently the estimate for aid in the year 2009 has reached $2.55 billion, according to globes.co.il..

“I believe that we are too closely tied to Israel for our own good,” Associate Professor of Political Science Ken Gilmore said. “However, I don’t believe that Hamas speaks for most Palestinian people.”

In recent weeks there have been more meetings of international councils to find a solution to the Gaza situation. One of these organizations is the Human Rights Council, which has 47 members, including the Islamic community. According to CNN.com, the United States and Israel are not members.