B'Tselem: Does Diskin view kids as terrorists?

[Scurrilous]

Shin Bet chief says 1,000 terrorists killed in Gaza Strip in past two years. Human rights organization says 816 Palestinians killed in that period, including children

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3493794,00.html

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"The human rights organizations in Israel and the Gaza Strip were angered by data presented Sunday by Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin during Sunday's cabinet meeting, according to which Israel had killed 1,000 terrorists in the past two years.

The B'Tselem organization expressed its surprise over Diskin's remarks, saying that according to its figures, 816 Palestinians were killed by the IDF in that same period, including 150 minors, 48 of them under the age of 14.

Security sources later corrected Diskin's remarks, saying that 810 terrorists were identified among the casualties, which included civilians.

"Does Yuval Diskin include five-year-old Maria Okal, eight-year-old Aya al-Astal, nine-year-old Yehi Abu Slamia and his five-year-old brother Nasrallah among the list of terrorist?" organization officials asked. "Does the Shin Bet chief refer to the blood of these and other children as the blood of terrorists?"

The Palestinian organizations also refer to 1,000 people killed in two years, but according to them, most of the casualties were civilians. According to Samir Zakkut of the al-Mezan Center for Human Rights in the Gaza Strip, the data presented by Diskin were untrue."


13 Jan. 2008: Head of ISA defines a terrorist as any Palestinian killed by Israel

<snip>

"According to media reports, the head of the Israel Security Agency Yuval Diskin stated at today's meeting of the Israeli Cabinet that Israel has killed 1,000 terrorists in the Gaza Strip in the past two years, in operations by the IDF and the ISA.

The total number of Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces in Gaza in 2006 and 2007 is 816. Of these, 152 were minors, including 48 under the age of 14. In addition, many men and women were killed in Gaza who took no part in the hostilities. It appears that the head of the ISA defines every Palestinian killed by Israel in the Gaza Strip as a terrorist.

The children killed in the Gaza Strip during this period include: Maria Akel, age 5; Aya al-Astel, age 8; Muhand Amen age 6; Yehia Abu Salmiya, age 9 and his brother Nasrallah, age 5; Maisa, Maryam, Saad and Mahmoud Othamneh ages 9 months to 10 years; Hadil Ghiben age 7; and Mahmoud and Sara Abu Ghazal, age 8."

http://www.btselem.org/english/Special/20080113_Response_to_Head_of_GSS_Statement.asp

[bemildred]

1. Israeli spy chief's speech caught on camera

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Asked about the chaos in Iraq, Yuval Diskin said Israel may come to regret the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Strong dictatorship is preferable to chaos, he said, adding that he wasn't sure whether Israel would not miss Saddam.

A veteran Shin Bet field agent and mastermind of Israel's policy of targeted killings of Palestinian militant leaders, Yuval Diskin was also asked about matters closer to home.

(Yuval Diskin speaking)

The Shin Bet chief told his audience that both Israel's judicial system and security establishment treated Arabs and Jews differently. When Arabs and Jews are guilty of the same offence he said, they don't always receive similar treatment during interrogation or in court.

Yuval Diskin then spoke about those he called "Jewish terrorists", men or women who use violence to oppose the pull out of settlers from occupied Palestinian territory.

http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2006/s1567635.htm