Deadly Metal Rain ─ The Legality of Flechette Weapons in International Law: A Reappraisal Following Israel Use of Flechettes in the Gaza Strip (2001-2009)

Noting that flechette weaponry, considered by many to be inherently indiscriminate and unnecessarily cruel, has become "the standard anti-personnel weapon used by Israel's armor forces," even in the Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated areas on earth, Barak (international relations, Hebrew U. of Jerusalem, Israel) conducts an appraisal of the legality of flechettes. He opens with a presentation of the legal and factual background and relevant treaty law. He then discusses Israeli use of flechettes, particularly in relation to the principles of proportionality and distinction, as well as relevant international cases. He concludes that the law is not necessarily sufficiently developed to declare flechette use illegal and that banning their use requires more work by states and non-governmental organizations. Martinus Nijhoff is an imprint of Brill. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Eitan Barak, assistant professor at the Department of International Relations, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has lectured and published extensively on Arms Control and Disarmament, the Law of Weaponry, Security Regimes and Israel's Defence Policy. His latest publications include: None to be Trusted: Israel's Use of Cluster Munitions in the Second Lebanon War and the Case for the Convention on Cluster Munitions (2010) and Doomed to be Violated? The U.S.-Israeli Clandestine End-User Agreement and the Second Lebanon War: Lessons for the Convention on Cluster Munitions (2009).