# Geneva Conventions Act 1957, Chapter Article 48—: Basic rule


In order to ensure respect for and protection of the civilian population and civilian objects, the Parties to the conflict shall at all times distinguish between the civilian population and combatants and between civilian objects and military objectives and accordingly shall direct their operations only against military objectives.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Eliz2/5-6/52/schedule/FIFTH/part/IV/chapter/3 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/geneva-conventions-act-1957/schedule-FIFTH/part-IV/chapter-3
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.