Israel: Does the army target civilians?

Last month at a military academy, several Israeli soldiers and officers said they are essentially being encouraged to kill civilians.

Israel is being forced to confront some deeply disturbing allegations, said Amos Harel in Tel Aviv’s Ha’aretz: Several Israeli soldiers and officers say they are essentially being encouraged to kill civilians. The men made those explosive claims last month at a military academy, where they were discussing their experiences during the Israeli campaign in Gaza in January. Ha’aretz got hold of the transcript, and it is chilling. One officer said his orders were to kill everyone in an apartment building, under the assumption that they were all terrorists since the Israel Defense Forces had instructed civilians to leave. He said he managed to convince his superiors to give families another chance to get out. Another soldier said that the rabbis assigned to the IDF had persuaded many soldiers that the conflict in Gaza was “a religious war.” Separately, a soldier reported seeing his comrades wearing T-shirts showing Palestinian women with bull’s-eyes on their bodies. Soldiers also described two incidents in which innocent civilians died.

Tragically, these are not isolated events, said the London Guardian in an editorial. The IDF is a highly trained, high-tech operation, with “weapons it can place to within a meter of its intended targets.” Its unmanned drones “have high-quality optics that can see the color of the target’s sweater.” Yet hundreds of civilians died in Gaza, and the only explanation is the “new and deadly relaxation of the rules of engagement.” Right-wing religious groups have taught young soldiers that Palestinian lives are worth nothing, that every child is a potential terrorist and a legitimate target. These are “war crimes,” and should be investigated by an international court.

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