Israeli Soldiers Admit: Our Behavior in Gaza Was Immoral!Hussein Assi Readers Number : 169
19/03/2009 A few months following its non-human war against Gaza that claimed the lives of thousands of civilians and displaced thousands others, the Zionist entity started witnessing the repercussions of its acts and the obsession of Gaza started dominating its political scene at the time horrible stories started to emerge, revealing the atrocities committed by the army described by the Israeli defense minister as the "most moral in the world"!
Indeed, the Zionist entity's military was rocked on Thursday by Gaza war veterans' accounts of the killing of civilians and allegations that deep contempt for Palestinians pervaded its ranks.
The soldiers, alumni of a military academy, gathered last month to discuss their experiences in the 22-day Israeli offensive that ended in January, a campaign that Palestinians and human rights groups have said warranted war crimes probes.
Disclosing details of the session, the institution's director said the soldiers pointed to an atmosphere within the military of "unbridled contempt for, and forcefulness against, the Palestinians."
"They talked about unwarranted fire on Palestinian civilians. There was also talk of vandalism to property," Danny Zamir, head of the Yitzhak Rabin pre-military program, told Israel Radio.
Excerpts from the soldiers' discussion appeared on Thursday on the front page of Israeli daily Haaretz. It said the airing of the "dirty secrets" would make it more difficult for Israelis to dismiss such allegations as Palestinian propaganda.
One of the soldiers, an infantry squad leader, recalled an incident in which he said an army sharpshooter killed a Palestinian mother and her two children who turned the wrong way after occupation troops ordered them out of their house. "The platoon commander let the family go and told them to go their right. One mother and her two children didn't understand and went to the left ... The sharpshooter saw (them) approaching him, closer than the lines he was told no one should pass. He shot them." The squad leader said most of the men under his command felt "the lives of Palestinians… were something very, very less important than the lives of our soldiers, so as far as they are concerned, they can justify it that way."
Another soldier related a story about an old woman who was crossing a main route who was shot by the soldiers. "I don't know whether she was suspicious, not suspicious, I don't know her story… I do know that my officer sent people to the roof in order to take her out… It was cold-blooded murder."
BARAK: OUR FORCES ARE THE MOST MORAL IN WORLD! Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak responded to the accusations by repeating Israel's description of its armed forces as "the most moral in the world." The military said its judge advocate-general ordered an investigation of the alleged incidents.
Later Thursday, Israeli Military Judge Advocate General Brigadier-General Avi announced he would launch a formal inquiry into the allegations. According to Mandelblit, the publications "paint a picture of unacceptable behavior, if true."
Knesset Member Ahmad Tibi said that the testimonials regarding Operation Cast Lead were proof of war crimes. "These are shocking testimonials. A State commission of inquiry must be formed and criminal proceedings must be taken against those responsible for the murders," he said.
Haaretz publishes soldiers' testimonies from Gaza
Today both Haaretz and the Israeli news portal Ynet carries the news story on the emerging testimonies of Israeli soldiers in combat during the Gaza massacre. Haaretz has promised further testimonies will be published in days to come.
Read today's articles here and here.
Some excerpts;
From the Ynet article:
Read today's articles here and here.
Some excerpts;
From the Ynet article:
The NCO [Non-Commissioned Officer] also related a story about an old woman who was crossing a main route who was shot by the soldiers. "I don't know whether she was suspicious, not suspicious, I don't know her story... I do know that my officer sent people to the roof in order to take her out... It was cold-blooded murder."From Haaretz:
Another NCO told of an incident in which a family was killed. "We had taken over the house... and the family was released and told to go right. A mother and two children got confused and went left... The sniper on the roof wasn't told that this was okay and that he shouldn't shoot... you can say he just did what he was told... he was told not to let anyone approach the left flank and he shot at them."
"I don't know whether he first shot at their feet or not (per IDF engagement instructions), but he killed them," the NCO said.
"The squad leader said he argued with his commander over the permissive rules of engagement that allowed the clearing out of houses by shooting without warning the residents beforehand. After the orders were changed, the squad leader's soldiers complained that "we should kill everyone there [in the center of Gaza]. Everyone there is a terrorist."Blogs: Röda Malmö, Henric A, PGS
The squad leader said: "You do not get the impression from the officers that there is any logic to it, but they won't say anything. To write 'death to the Arabs' on the walls, to take family pictures and spit on them, just because you can. I think this is the main thing: To understand how much the IDF has fallen in the realm of ethics, really. It's what I'll remember the most.""
Upplagd av as-Salam wa al-Hurriya kl. 4:30 PM
Haaretz expose: IDF testimonies paint grim picture of Gaza war
By AMOS HAREL
Initial testimonies given by Israel Defense Forces soldiers and officers who fought in Israel's offensive on the Gaza Strip earlier this year paints a grim picture of civilian deaths, deliberate destruction of Palestinian property and lenient orders to open fire.
Dozens of combat soldiers, graduates of the Oranim pre-military institute, gathered at their alma mater last month to relate their experiences during Operation Cast Lead.
Their on-the-ground testimonies are different from the army's official statements, in which the IDF insisted its forces paid heed to high moral standards in every sector.
In one testimony, a soldier describes an incident in which an IDF sniper killed a Palestinian woman and her two children.
"There was one house with a family in it... we put them into some room. Afterward, we left the house and another company went in, and a few days after we went in there was an order to release the family. We took our positions upstairs."
"There was a sniper position on the roof and the company commander released the family and told them to take a right," said the soldier. "One mother and her two children didn't understand, and they took a left. Someone forgot to notify the sniper on the roof that the family had been released, and that it was okay, it was fine, to hold fire, and he... you can say he acted as necessary, as he was ordered to."
More soldier testimonies will be published in Haaretz over the coming days.
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