Israeli soldiers have described the use of “permissive” rules
of
engagement that cost civilian lives during the recent military campaign
in Gaza.
The troops said they
had been urged to fire on any building or person that seemed suspicious
and said civilians were sometimes used as human shields.
Breaking the Silence, a campaign group made up of Israeli soldiers,
gathered the anonymous accounts.
Israel denies breaking the laws of war and dismissed the report as
hearsay.
Breaking the Silence described most of the testimonies of soldiers
who
took part in Operation Cast Lead as “sober, regretful and shocked”.
Many of the testimonies are in line with claims made by human-rights
organisations that Israeli military action in Gaza was indiscriminate
and disproportionate.
According to testimonies from the 14 conscripts and 12 reserve
soldiers:
• Rules of engagement were either unclear or encouraged soldiers to
do
their utmost to protect their own lives whether or not Palestinian
civilians were harmed.
• Civilians were used as human shields, entering buildings ahead of
soldiers
• Large swathes of homes and buildings were demolished. Accounts say
that this was often done because the houses might be booby-trapped, or
cover tunnels. Testimony mentioned a policy referred to as “the day
after”, whereby areas near the border where razed to make future
military operations easier
• Many troops had a generally aggressive, ill-disciplined attitude
• There was widespread vandalism of property of Palestinians
• Soldiers firing at water tanks because they were bored, at a time
of severe water shortages for Gazans
• White phosphorus was used in civilian areas gratuitously and
recklessly
• Many of the soldiers said there had been very little direct
engagement with Palestinian militants
The report says Israeli troops and the people who justify their
actions
are “slid[ing] together down the moral slippery slope”.
Palestinians killed during Israeli military offensive in Gaza, 27 Dec
to 18 Jan – Palestinian claims followed by Israelis claims:
Sources: Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and Israeli Defence
Intelligence Research Dept
“This is an urgent call to Israeli society and its leaders to sober
up
and investigate anew the results of our actions,” Breaking the Silence
says.
Israeli officials insist troops went to great lengths
to protect civilians, that Hamas endangered non-combatants by firing
from civilian areas and that homes and buildings were destroyed only
when there was a specific military need to do so.
Israel said the purpose of the 22-day operation that
ended on 18 January 2009 had been to end rocket fire from Gaza aimed at
its southern towns.
Palestinian rights groups say about 1,400 Palestinians
died during the operation. Thirteen Israelis died in the conflict,
including 10 soldiers serving in Gaza.
According to the UN, the campaign damaged or destroyed
more than 50,000 homes, 800 industrial properties, 200 schools, 39
mosques and two churches.
Investigations
Reacting to the report, Israeli military spokeswoman Lt Col Avital
Leibovich said:
“The IDF regrets the fact that another human rights organisation has
come out with a report based on anonymous and general testimony –
without investigating their credibility.”
She dismissed the document as “hearsay and word of mouth”.
“The IDF expects every soldier to turn to the appropriate
authorities
with any allegation,” Lt Col Leibovich added. “This is even more
important where the harm is to non-combatants. The IDF has
uncompromising ethical values which continue to guide us in every
mission.”
There have been several investigations into the conduct
of Israel’s operation in Gaza, and both Israel and Hamas, the
Palestinian militant group that runs the territory, have faced
accusations of war crimes.
An internal investigations by the Israeli military said
troops fought lawfully, although errors did take place, such as the
deaths of 21 people in a house that had been wrongly targeted.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has requested more
than $11m (£7m) in compensation from Israel for damage to UN property
in Gaza. A limited UN inquiry blamed Israel in six out of nine attacks
on UN facilities, resulting in casualties among civilians sheltering
there.
Meanwhile, a fact-finding team commissioned by the Arab
League concluded there was enough evidence to prosecute the Israeli
military for war crimes and crimes against humanity, and that “the
Israeli political leadership was also responsible for such crimes”.
It also said Palestinian militants were guilty of war crimes in
their use of indiscriminate rocket attacks on civilians.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/8149464.stm
Published: 2009/07/15 03:12:46 GMT
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