Posts Tagged ‘idf’
Israeli Troops Ordered to “Cleanse” Gaza
January 27th, 2011 • Film & Documentary, News
Tags: Concrete, documentary, film, gaza, idf, interview, Nurit Kedar, Operation Cast Lead, Testimony, war crimes
Stunning new testimony from IDF troops sent into Gaza during Operation Cast Lead from Nurit Kedar’s film ‘Concrete’:
Nurit Kedar’s film, Concrete, hears from Israeli soldiers who blame their military leaders for encouraging a “disproportionate” response to Hamas’s rockets.
They claim their commanders used to “psych up” soldiers before an operation so they were ready to shoot indiscriminately.
This is the first time Israeli soldiers have come forward publicly with claims which counter those of their bosses.
In a report first aired on Channel 4 News on Wednesday, 24-year-old tank commander Ohad remembers being told the night before the operation that the entry into Gaza was to be “disproportionate”.
Once into Gaza, he says his orders were unambiguous: “We needed to cleanse the neighbourhoods, the buildings, the area. It sounds really terrible to say “cleanse”, but those were the orders….I don’t want to make a mistake with the words.”
The IDF [Israel Defence Forces] has said its operational orders during the war emphasised “proportionality” and “humanity”.
The importance of minimising harm to civilians was made clear to soldiers, the IDF said at the time. By the end of the 22 day long operation some 1,400 Palestinians had been killed and large areas of Gaza razed. Ten Israeli soldiers and three Israeli civilians also died.
Read more at Channel 4 News…
Israeli Embassy response:
“Unlike much of the region, the open society within Israel allows for all allegations such as these to be aired and investigated.
“Israel has already authorised over 100 separate investigations into the operation, five broader investigations, and close to 50 criminal investigations are also taking place.
“All this in the context of having to respond to over 12,000 missiles raining on our citizens – such an operation could unfortunately never be flawless given these circumstances.
“Our judicial process is renowned across the world for its independence. This is a country after all, which holds even the very top of society to account, as has been proven in recent days. This is Israel in the 21st Century, a flourishing democracy, thriving amongst a desert of tyranny in the Middle East.”
Interview with filmmaker Nurit Kedar:
Nurit Kedar’s other films include ‘One Shot’:
Arizona State University Students Protest IDF Soldier
December 5th, 2010 • Events, Film & Documentary, News
Tags: Arizona State University, ASU, idf, Students for Justice in Palestine, submitted
On November 2, 2010 Arizona State University’s “Sun Devils for Israel” invited Sergeant Nadav Weinberg, an Israel Defense Soldier (IDF), to speak about the “Ethics of the IDF.”
This is how ASU group “Students for Justice in Palestine” responded:
Israeli Soldier Who Killed Tom Hurndall Granted Early Release
July 20th, 2010 • Awareness, Film & Documentary, News
Tags: court, crime, gaza, idf, International Solidarity Movement, ISM, israel, justice, RAfah, sentence, The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall, Tom Hurndall
Tom Hurndall
We have to agree with Tom’s mother: ‘Israel doesn’t care about justice’, and his father who has called for a meeting with William Hague.
21-year old Tom Hurndall was shot in the head in April 2003 as he was helping Palestinian children to cross a street in Rafah, Gaza. In 2005 the Israeli soldier, Taysir-al-Heib, was jailed for eight years for manslaughter.
Read ISM’s press release: Early release of Tom Hurndall’s killer symptom of wider Israeli crimes
The Foreign Office gave a typically weak response, from the Guardian:
“Taysir was part of a policy and was not the principal culprit,” Anthony Hurndall said. “The issue is that the Israeli army are uncaring of civilian safety.”
In a statement the Foreign Office said: “We note the court’s decision to release Taysir Hayb and recognise the grief this decision will cause to the Hurndall family. We have the deepest of sympathies for the Hurndall family. Tom’s death was a tragedy.”
Hurndall described the statement as tame. He said: “I would like them to say that this is not just a tragedy but that the Isreali government is directly responsibility for Tom’s death and should acknowledge this and take steps to put matters right by changing policies to ensure that civilians are not shot or killed indiscriminately. I’m disappointed they could have said it more forcefully.”
He added: “We would now like a meeting with William Hague and the attorney general. That rather weak response should act as a trigger to a meeting. We want the British government to help ensure that senior officers are bought to account and prosecuted.”
Speaking for the Hurndall family, he said: “We are not anti-Israeli or pro-Palestinian. Our deep concern here is that nothing is going to happen to resolve issues between the Israel and the Palestinians unless there is a degree of honesty and fact-facing and balance restored.
“War crimes have been committed and continue to be committed in Gaza.”
Hurndall’s sister Sophie told Israel’s Ha’aretz newspaper that she was “angry and shocked” by the early release of Hayb.
But she said she blamed the Israeli military rather than Hayb.
“It’s about the system. Not the man himself,” she told Haaretz. “This man who shot Tom was the same age as him. He is both the victim and the killer. He is part of a system that proactively encouraged soldiers to target civilians.”
Read more: Family of Briton killed by Israeli soldier demand meeting with ministers
UK readers should watch Channel 4‘s documentary: The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall
Tom’s mother, Jocelyn, has written a book My Son Tom: The Life and Tragic Death of Tom Hurndal and the family has a website, Tom Hurndall Foundation.
Soldier and Officer Convicted in Ni’lin Shooting
July 16th, 2010 • Awareness, News
Tags: B'Tselem, checkpoint, conviction, human rights, idf, office, palestinian, shooting, soldier
AJE reports on case brought under pressure from B’Tselem and other rights groups:
B’Tselem:
The special military court convicted Lieutenant Col. Omri Borberg, formerly commander of armored battalion 71 of attempt ed threat s and Staff Sergeant Leonardo Corea of unlawful use of firearms . Both were also convicted of conduct unbecoming. The charges carry a maximum sentence of three years imprisonment and a criminal record.
In the judgment, the panel of three judges wrote that Borberg instructed to make Ashraf Abu Rahma, the bound prisoner, think that a soldier would shoot him. “The accused even led his subordinate astray by causing him to shoot towards the blindfolded, bound prisoner.” The judges emphasized that combat is not an excuse to justify criminal action. “The actions of the battalion commander did not take place during a demonstration but rather in an area under complete Israeli control and the threat of shooting was not conducted in the course of combat or police action. It represents a serious blow to fundamental values and a significant erosion of the image of the IDF, his commanders and its soldiers.”
The decision of the military court is important both as measure of justice for the victim, as well as for the deterrent message it sends to soldiers and commanders. The military must embrace the judgment and act decisively and proactively to ensure that the far too common phenomenon of ill treatment of Palestinian detainees is not tolerated.
Jpost: Commander, soldier convicted in shooting of Palestinian
ID order set to criminalise Palestinians
April 13th, 2010 • News
Tags: id, idf, palestine, west bank
Thousands of Palestinians living in the West Bank may soon be evicted or face criminal charges by Israeli authorities, the Israeli daily Haaretz has said.
An amendment to an Israeli military order on “preventing infiltration” could soon stipulate that residents of the West Bank without ID cards may now need one issued by the occupying authorities.
Anyone without such a document could either be expelled or jailed. Haaretz said the new order would likely be used first against Palestinians in the West Bank with Gaza ID cards and the foreign spouses of Palestinians living in the territory.
Read Amira Haas’ report at Ha’aretz: IDF order will enable mass deportation from West Bank
Further interview and report:
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A new Israeli military policy could result in the eviction of tens of thousands of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank. They even risk being jailed. Amendments to the existing 1969 order on preventing infiltration could apply to Palestinians living in the West Bank without official ID cards issued by Israel.
The Israeli army says the order was designed to “facilitate a process of judicial review of the extradition of illegal residents in the region”. But Palestinian and Israeli human rights organisations have condemned the order.
