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IDF soldiers in the Gaza Strip during Operation Cast Lead.
 (IDF Spokesman's Office)
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Last update - 12:40 19/03/2009
IDF in Gaza: Killing civilians, vandalism, and lax rules of engagement
By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel News, IDF, Hamas, Gaza
 

During Operation Cast Lead, Israeli forces killed Palestinian civilians under permissive rules of engagement and intentionally destroyed their property, say soldiers who fought in the offensive.

The soldiers are graduates of the Yitzhak Rabin pre-military preparatory course at Oranim Academic College in Tivon. Some of their statements made on Feb. 13 will appear Thursday and Friday in Haaretz. Dozens of graduates of the course who took part in the discussion fought in the Gaza operation.

The speakers included combat pilots and infantry soldiers. Their testimony runs counter to the Israel Defense Forces' claims that Israeli troops observed a high level of moral behavior during the operation. The session's transcript was published this week in the newsletter for the course's graduates.
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The testimonies include a description by an infantry squad leader of an incident where an IDF sharpshooter mistakenly shot a Palestinian mother and her two children. "There was a house with a family inside .... We put them in a room. Later we left the house and another platoon entered it, and a few days after that there was an order to release the family. They had set up positions upstairs. There was a sniper position on the roof," the soldier said.

"The platoon commander let the family go and told them to go to the right. One mother and her two children didn't understand and went to the left, but they forgot to tell the sharpshooter on the roof they had let them go and it was okay, and he should hold his fire and he ... he did what he was supposed to, like he was following his orders."

According to the squad leader: "The sharpshooter saw a woman and children approaching him, closer than the lines he was told no one should pass. He shot them straight away. In any case, what happened is that in the end he killed them.

"I don't think he felt too bad about it, because after all, as far as he was concerned, he did his job according to the orders he was given. And the atmosphere in general, from what I understood from most of my men who I talked to ... I don't know how to describe it .... The lives of Palestinians, let's say, is something very, very less important than the lives of our soldiers. So as far as they are concerned they can justify it that way," he said.

Another squad leader from the same brigade told of an incident where the company commander ordered that an elderly Palestinian woman be shot and killed; she was walking on a road about 100 meters from a house the company had commandeered.

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."

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."

More soldiers' testimonies will be published in Haaretz over the coming days.


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      1.   And? 21:27  |  Bob 18/03/09
      2.   Gaza 21:31  |  Jay 18/03/09
      3.   Bob--more testimony to come 21:42  |  Dave Duncan 18/03/09
      4.   Not what I heard 22:00  |  Jo Nel 18/03/09
      5.   Wartime casualties 22:10  |  Colin 18/03/09
      6.   so what ? 22:17  |  LucyDeLucia 18/03/09
      7.   Suspicions confirmed 22:26  |  Natallie Durson 18/03/09
      8.   #2 22:31  |  kibblets 18/03/09
      9.   To Bob 22:49  |  Val 18/03/09
      10.   Seems like.... 22:50  |  Joan 18/03/09
      11.   Your Moral High Ground 22:51  |  The world Sees You 18/03/09
      12.   Haaretz: "War is grim" 22:55  |  Jonathan Starks 18/03/09
      13.   Despicable! 22:55  |  Todd 18/03/09
      14.   Response to 6 22:56  |  Marcelo 18/03/09
      15.   Much ado about nothing--so there was a MISTAKE with the sniper 22:58  |  Moshe 18/03/09
      16.   Did Anyone Expect a JOLLY Picture of the War? 23:03  |  David M 18/03/09
      17.   Colin 23:06  |  Matthew 18/03/09
      18.   it was called the war in gaza right?? 23:07  |  Avi 18/03/09
      19.   Natallie Durson (#7) Yes USA, USA, USA 23:08  |  Gil 18/03/09
      20.   Read between the lines 23:08  |  David King 18/03/09
      21.   Natallie Durson (#7) Yes USA, USA, USA 23:08  |  Gil 18/03/09
      22.   The Jewish people are not "evil" and Israel is not "evil"..... 23:16  |  Swiss (Dino) 18/03/09
      23.   Natallie 23:19  |  Waldo 18/03/09
      24.   wow 23:27  |  moshe 18/03/09
      25.   And the first ten posts... 23:28  |  Colin Wright 18/03/09
      26.   Natallie 23:29  |  sfg 18/03/09
      27.   Israel is one of the only societies where this would be an issue 23:31  |  Mary P. 18/03/09
      28.   to And? so what? Wartime casualties 23:36  |  ex-Israeli 18/03/09
      29.   War Is an Obscenity 23:41  |  Knott Bushman 18/03/09
      30.   Eventually the truth will out 23:52  |  Norman 18/03/09
      31.   idf in Gaza 00:43  |  Mike 19/03/09
      32.   Does Israel really have the moral high ground? 00:44  |  Isaac Hassen 19/03/09
      33.   Israel bashers don`t care about the truth!! 00:56  |  The truth seeker 19/03/09
      34.   IDF testimonies 01:06  |  Victor 19/03/09
      35.   The Gaza War 01:18  |  WHG 19/03/09
      36.   Jo Nel - The "believer" of nonsense... 01:18  |  PADDY 19/03/09
      37.   Australia calling 01:22  |  bruce 19/03/09
      38.   Professional not moral failiure 01:24  |  David Olesker 19/03/09
      39.   "...it was okay" 01:37  |  alex 19/03/09
      40.   Hey Harel why should a sniper fire at children? 01:37  |  Really 19/03/09
      41.   #6 01:59  |  JJ 19/03/09
      42.   Israeli Winter Soldiers 02:00  |  Linda Wenrick 19/03/09
      43.   Red flag 02:04  |  Hans 19/03/09
      44.   If you don`t like war, ... 02:04  |  Jasper 19/03/09
      45.   How Israel sees itself -- the widening gulf 02:13  |  Hanna 19/03/09
      46.   And? So what? 02:50  |  jess from Brazil 19/03/09
      47.   Courts martial and jail time 02:59  |  Steve 19/03/09
      48.   Harel`s rules of engagement increases the risks of soldiers casu 03:28  |  Joseph.E 19/03/09
      49.   It`s not simply "lax rules of engagement" 03:45  |  John E. Smoke 19/03/09
      50.   Hamas kills their civilians,Israel gets the blame!!!! 04:00  |  Maria 19/03/09
      51.   HAMAS Kills Civilians under intentional rules of 04:00  |  Brad 19/03/09
      52.   Pro- Palestinians why don`t you condemn 04:05  |  Maria 19/03/09
      53.   Easy to talk in your comfy homes 04:31  |  proud of IDF 19/03/09
      54.   IDF sharpshooter `mistakenly` shot? 04:47  |  peacelover 19/03/09
      55.   Diaspora Jewry contra Israel 04:56  |  Honi 19/03/09
      56.   IDF Killed Civilians 05:09  |  Patrick Weiss 19/03/09
      57.   Hamas terrorist 05:45  |  Yonathan Starks 19/03/09
      58.   Lax Rules? 06:05  |  Suspicious 19/03/09
      59.   I don`t see hamas conducting investigations 06:16  |  Ron 19/03/09
      60.   Not good 07:17  |  Liat 19/03/09
      61.   To all the armchair generals 07:22  |  Michael D. 19/03/09
      62.   IDF kills 07:30  |  dani.a 19/03/09
      63.   What is the sense of this? To liken IDF with Hamas? 07:52  |  arthur 19/03/09
      64.   WHG (#12) -- exactly! 07:53  |  David 19/03/09
      65.   Defining the enemy 07:55  |  Moshe 19/03/09
      66.   Murder as a deterrent 07:56  |  Natallie Durson 19/03/09
      67.   Soldiers testimonies are nothinh new 08:09  |  Louis 19/03/09
      68.   so what? Every war- Vietnam, ww2, Iraq kills 08:17  |  dudu 19/03/09
      69.   Thta`s war (#20) 08:19  |  tosi 19/03/09
      70.   34 Ron: Genius Hamas is a terrorist organization Israel is 08:37  |  Tupac 19/03/09
      71.   TOTAL WAR IS CALLED FOR 08:56  |  GOLANI 19/03/09
      72.   War is not pretty and sad to hear a mother and children were 09:02  |  Ben 19/03/09
      73.   To MOSHE #65 09:17  |  Amira 19/03/09
      74.   Everyone is a loser in War 09:48  |  Peter Williams 19/03/09
      75.   #13 Todd, #39 alex 09:51  |  E 19/03/09
      76.   Do the Israeli people understand, that as soon as their soldiers 09:55  |  Swiss (Dino) 19/03/09
      77.   blows my mind away 10:15  |  Mark 19/03/09
      78.   Humanity, Whats next? 10:20  |  Pal 19/03/09
      79.   We hear it, we can face and acknowledge it 10:21  |  Sceptic 19/03/09
      80.   To Amira #73 10:27  |  Uri 19/03/09
      81.   when children and women 10:31  |  lola 19/03/09
      82.   the idf ALWAYS "investigates"; doesn`t it???? 10:32  |  eric 19/03/09
      83.   The difference between self criticism and mea culpa 10:36  |  Marco Mauas 19/03/09
      84.   why did this reach the media? 10:38  |  dont tel war stories 19/03/09
      85.   "The lives of Palestinians less important " 11:06  |  bashar 19/03/09
      86.   To Natalie #66 11:10  |  Daniel King 19/03/09
      87.   Pal 11:13  |  PETER SM 19/03/09
      88.   Sad stuff 11:20  |  ScotGuy 19/03/09
      89.   Unlike your Palestinian heroes Dino, Nuttalie, et al 11:23  |  Michael 19/03/09
      90.   The most moral army? Ist sent 22.00 last nigt 11:29  |  Ussishkin 19/03/09
      91.   snipers 11:29  |  christoph 19/03/09
      92.   What ıs Occupatıon doıng now 12:17  |  Shadı 19/03/09
      93.   The Killing of a Mother and her children 12:24  |  Maureen Hetherington 19/03/09
      94.   Heartless responses confirm moral decadence ! 12:28  |  Hisham 19/03/09
      95.   he did what he was supposed to, like he was following his orders 12:30  |  Axel 19/03/09
      96.   David Olesker 12:31  |  David Bennison 19/03/09
      97.   A sniper firing on children 12:41  |  Chris Linthwaite 19/03/09
      98.   Shouldn`t we have the inquiries before we sling mud on the IDF 12:44  |  S.Freedman 19/03/09
      99.   Isaac Hassen #32 12:47  |  kameel 19/03/09
      100.   #7 Tupac and other `arm chair generals`. 14:00  |  John Allen 19/03/09
      101.   Haaretz: bashing Israel: right on target 14:09  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 19/03/09
      102.   Apparently Samir Kuntar operated under the same lax ROE 14:45  |  Jens 19/03/09
      103.   Jens, where is the testimony of Kuntar of his killings? 15:00  |  Israeli Citizen 19/03/09
      104.   Sceptic versus credulous. #79 15:01  |  Roo 19/03/09
      105.   New Israeli Narrative 15:27  |  Shayif 19/03/09
      106.   Durson`s hysteria 15:29  |  Yaeli Banai 19/03/09
      107.   abu ghraib of idf 15:30  |  Horst 19/03/09
      108.   Margie - you defend Israel no-matter what 15:34  |  Philip 19/03/09
      109.   #26 15:35  |  ladycalluna 19/03/09
      110.   Israel Disproportionate Force (IDF) 15:35  |  Sormi 19/03/09
      111.   agreed totally 15:36  |  kate 19/03/09
      112.   to Jens#102 15:39  |  Ilya 19/03/09
      113.   # 101 No, Margie, that is not he worst....... 15:41  |  Swiss (Dino) 19/03/09
      114.   it wasn`t a war 15:41  |  Uetliberg 19/03/09
      115.   Israel will pay the prize 15:47  |  Ralf 19/03/09
      116.   Natalie`s Numbers 16:32  |  Yaeli 19/03/09
      117.   he said, "he did what he was supposed to" 16:34  |  Sama 19/03/09
      118.   Kate #111 Who thinks all is the Shame of Israel 16:38  |  Big Sur 19/03/09
      119.   We were only following orders... 16:38  |  Haim 19/03/09
      120.   Return to long forgotten basic life values 16:43  |  H.H.M 19/03/09
      121.   To Uetliberg - Zurich - it wasn`t a war 16:45  |  Alain 19/03/09
      122.   government-sponsored brutality 16:45  |  Chantal 19/03/09
      123.   PETER SM well well well! 16:47  |  Roo 19/03/09
      124.   To Roo#104 16:53  |  Ilya 19/03/09
      125.   #92Shadı what Occupation? 16:53  |  Big ||Sur 19/03/09
      126.   Philip Dino - where is the indignation for a million in Iraq? 16:54  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 19/03/09
      127.   #82 Eric in New Mexico 16:56  |  Big Sur 19/03/09
      128.   #100 Tupac-- 16:59  |  Chantal 19/03/09
      129.   Congratulations 17:13  |  Human Being 19/03/09
      130.   The little ones are the children. 17:17  |  Neutered Observer 19/03/09
      131.   IDF Animals 17:18  |  Joe 19/03/09
      132.   #63 Say Arthur in Israel 17:20  |  ballistic 19/03/09
      133.   The Nazis were only following orders? 17:44  |  Z 19/03/09
      134.   Well Haaretz you have given Al Jazeera a story today... 17:46  |  Mary 19/03/09
      135.   to Alain 17:49  |  Uetliberg 19/03/09
      136.   Axel 17:53  |  RonH 19/03/09
      137.   Roo, funny to hear condemnations from a human shield supporter 17:55  |  Meo 19/03/09
      138.   Horst 17:58  |  RonH 19/03/09
      139.   Chantal: Rabbi-sponsored brutality? 19:26  |  AT 19/03/09
      140.   IDF in Gaza 19:29  |  Rich 19/03/09
      141.   Our tax dollars at work 19:43  |  Jacob 19/03/09
      142.   #125 Margie of Tel Aviv 19:47  |  Chris Linthwaite 19/03/09
      143.   THIS IS NOT A WAR 19:49  |  Joan 19/03/09
      144.   Individual stories of mix ups are not 19:52  |  TOMY 19/03/09
      145.   This Story Featured In NY Times - Not A Good Sign For Israel 19:53  |  chet 19/03/09
      146.   a number of comments 19:55  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 19/03/09
      147.   External Investigation 19:59  |  David 19/03/09
      148.   Re: Cast Lead abuses 20:00  |  Lynn Alderman 19/03/09
      149.   only the gullible believed they were pure anyway 20:05  |  Fed up 19/03/09
      150.   To #139 Rich of Margate 20:06  |  David Bennison 19/03/09
      151.   #108, Philip 20:08  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 19/03/09
      152.   We pay for Israeli atrocities 20:09  |  American tax payer 19/03/09
      153.   Grandmother Mary 20:13  |  Joan 19/03/09
      154.   #139, Rich 20:16  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 19/03/09
      155.   It wasn`t a war. 20:17  |  Lynne 19/03/09
      156.   Discrepancies in stories 20:19  |  Walter Regan 19/03/09
      157.   Israel 20:21  |  Mark 19/03/09
      158.   IDF, 3rd world junta 20:22  |  Ayan 19/03/09
      159.   IDF is investigating 20:23  |  gunter 19/03/09
      160.   When was war ever fair? 20:45  |  Shalom 19/03/09
      161.   Gaza 20:50  |  Gunnar Aegisson 19/03/09
      162.   IDF 21:34  |  Robert 19/03/09
      163.   Mark: bzzzt! Wrong. 21:39  |  AT 19/03/09
      164.   #6 21:47  |  American 19/03/09
      165.   "Orgasmical" convocation of anti-Israel bashing is fascinating 21:49  |  common sense 19/03/09
      166.   Keep up the good work Haaretz 22:18  |  James 19/03/09
      167.   israel`s brave boys 22:18  |  alemild 19/03/09
      168.   Difference 22:42  |  Greg 19/03/09
      169.   It sounds as "Schindlers Liste" 23:58  |  Ars 19/03/09
      170.   A failed gov`t, IDF lapses and those trying to murder us... 00:02  |  bat yam 20/03/09
      171.   Margie tut tuts at Haaretz hanging out the dirty washing#101 02:33  |  Roo 20/03/09
      172.   169 um...what? 02:59  |  astonished 20/03/09
      173.   Why post here? 03:19  |  Average Joe 20/03/09
      174.   #125 Margie in Tel Aviv 03:26  |  Jim 20/03/09
      175.   ROO.USING one (1) case to generalise the whole operation. 03:44  |  PETER SM 20/03/09
      176.   You who call it war 03:46  |  billy jack 20/03/09
      177.   But common sense (#164) 03:54  |  David 20/03/09
      178.   #168 Ars 03:56  |  Jim 20/03/09
      179.   so many whiners here.... 04:12  |  izzy 20/03/09
      180.   Israel Killed Hundreds Palestinians 04:12  |  michael 20/03/09
      181.   Moshe 15 04:18  |  John 20/03/09
      182.   Delusions regarding morality 04:35  |  Stephen Murray 20/03/09
      183.   channel 2: testimony was rumour not eyewitness 04:47  |  robins 20/03/09
      184.   #179 Michael 05:33  |  Jim 20/03/09
      185.   RE: Steve 05:37  |  Shlomog 20/03/09
      186.   natallie, GAZA killings 08:12  |  HM 20/03/09
      187.   To Natallie 08:54  |  Frustrated Man 20/03/09
      188.   # 126 to big sur in california re: arab investigations 09:03  |  eric 20/03/09
      189.   So what ?? CRIMINALS !!! 09:59  |  Aki Ushiwa 20/03/09
      190.   IDF 10:54  |  Jim 20/03/09
      191.   Evil enemy? 11:13  |  Pablo Luis 20/03/09
      192.   channel 2 12:35  |  Joan 20/03/09
      193.   Yes, it IS war 14:26  |  Eric 20/03/09
      194.   PETER SM #174 wrong and unfocused, as usual 14:33  |  Roo 20/03/09
      195.   These soldiers don`t sound convincing to me 14:36  |  Avi 20/03/09
      196.   ... just following orders... 14:49  |  fred schumacher 20/03/09
      197.   #26 sfg, I was wondering where u get these "historical facts" ... 14:55  |  Marina 20/03/09
      198.   Middle East Proposal 18:49  |  Hans-Armin Ohlmann 20/03/09
      199.   boring! 18:55  |  Mark 20/03/09
      200.   Chris Linthwaite (#141) & Speaks of the Horrors of Cast Lead! 19:38  |  Gil 20/03/09
      201.   So Aki, how do you get HAMAS to stop targeting Israeli children? 20:11  |  Jacob Blues 20/03/09
      202.   So Jacob B, how does one target Israeli children 01:55  |  Roo 21/03/09
      203.   #194 Say Avi, you post BS. 21:05  |  ballistic 21/03/09
      204.   Rules in the Most Moral Army in the World 21:08  |  Victor 21/03/09
      205.   Then and Now 21:25  |  BazMann 21/03/09
      206.   This story featured in the Weekend Australian newspaper 21:28  |  Tony 21/03/09
      207.   lack of reporting on these revelations 23:01  |  Yaacov Yaraad 21/03/09
      208.   What??? 05:54  |  Bill 22/03/09
      209.   Victor #203 03:00  |  mark aleshnick 23/03/09
      210.   To all moral Israeli`s 21:03  |  Deposed Palestinian 25/03/09
      211.   The Army cannot dismiss or excuse wrong doing in its ranks 21:47  |  Dutch 30/03/09
      212.   ISRAEL 15:24  |  jOAO 19/04/09
      213.   Remove the palestinians from the land? 19:54  |  Jenny 21/04/09
      214.   Is Israel really a friend to the US 19:27  |  Robert Hedges 01/05/09
      215.   travesty 04:23  |  E.B. Ayal 09/05/09
      216.   It`s Not War 20:12  |  joe 15/07/09
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