Israeli soldiers speak out on Gaza conflict

[Arrowhead2k1]

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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
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8149464.stm

Really this is just stuff that many of us already knew, but to see kind of stuff finally bubbling up internally from wthin the Israeli military itself hopefully provides a serious wakeup call to others.

[Scurrilous]

1. Soldiers say received orders to shoot first, worry later in Gaza war

Breaking the Silence activist group presents report of testimonies from Gaza offensive in which soldiers say destruction, civilian casualties were direct result of IDF policy. Army: Testimonies are general, anonymous, and unreliable

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3746712,00.html

<snip>

"A number of IDF soldiers who took part in Israel's recent Gaza offensive say they were urged by commanders to shoot first and worry later about sorting out civilians from combatants. Accordingly, they say, the force went into Gaza with guns blazing.

In print and video testimony published on Wednesday by the activist group Breaking the Silence, the 30 soldiers say the army's imperative was to minimize its own casualties to ensure Israeli public support for the operation.

"Better hit an innocent than hesitate to target an enemy," is a typical description by one unidentified soldier of his understanding of instructions repeated at pre-invasion briefings and during the 22-day operation, from Dec. 27 to Jan. 18.

"If you're not sure, kill. Fire power was insane. We went in and the booms were just mad," says another. "The minute we got to our starting line, we simply began to fire at suspect places. In urban warfare, anyone is your enemy. No innocents."

The 112-page report by Breaking the Silence includes testimonies of 30 soldiers "who served in all sectors of the operation".

"The majority ... are still serving in their regular military units and turned to us in deep distress at the moral deterioration of the IDF," it says. Their narratives "are enough to bring into question the credibility of the official IDF versions."



A New Booklet By "Breaking The Silence":

<snip>

""You feel like an infantile little kid with a magnifying glass looking at ants, burning them."

Fifty-four testimonies of Israeli combat soldiers who participated in Operation Cast Lead reveal gaps between the reports given by the army following January’s events; the needless destruction of houses; firing phosphorous in populated areas and an atmosphere that encouraged shooting anywhere.

Half a year after Operation Cast Lead, the organization "Breaking the Silence" is announcing the release of a new booklet today (Wed. 7/15) that includes numerous testimonies by soldiers who participated in the operation. The testimonies expose significant gaps between the official stances of the Israeli military and events on the ground.

Among the 54 testimonies are stories revealing the use of "accepted practices," the destruction of hundreds of houses and mosques for no military purpose, the firing of phosphorous gas in the direction of populated areas, the killing of innocent victims with small arms, the destruction of private property, and most of all, a permissive atmosphere in the command structure that enabled soldiers to act without moral restrictions. The booklet compiles the testimonies of about 30 reserve and regular combat soldiers from various units that participated in the fighting. The testimonies demonstrate that the soldiers were not given directives stating the goal of the operation and, as one soldier testifies, "there was not much said about the issue of innocent civilians."

Many soldiers said that they fought without seeing "the enemy before their eyes." "You feel like an infantile little kid with a magnifying glass looking at ants, burning them," one of the soldiers testified that "a 20-year-old kid should not have to do these kinds of things to other people."

"The testimonies prove that the immoral way the war was carried out was due to the systems in place and not the individual soldier," said Mikhael Mankin from "Breaking the Silence." What was proven yesterday is that through the IDF the exception becomes the norm, and this requires a deep and reflective discussion. This is an urgent call to Israel's society and leadership to take a sober look at the foolishness of our policies."

http://www.shovrimshtika.org/oferet/news_item_e.asp?id=1

[pelsar]

3. read the whole website....

like in most israeli publications about the IDF, etc by Human Rights groups in israel, tend to have more realistic information for those who are actually interested in the real events and the real soldiers/humans involved and their reactions to the pressures.......

It makes for interesting reading for those who are interested in what actually happens in an urban environment......

one statement was rather obvious to me, yet it was interesting that the soldier said it:
Things were said that in a way made us confident that our own lives were top priority.




for those who prefer the more simplistic black and white variety of demonization than, they should just stick to the more shallow headlines.....and not read the entire website....it might make the IDF soldiers in to real human beings....

_____

You didn't see any destruction beyond that? Just a normal military search.
Yes, there was no intentional destruction beyond the normal military search. Very little........ Anyway, in the second or third house the company took there were four people, the owner's family. We came there to take food and I saw the house. It was elegantly furnished and nicely built. It too was being looked after the way we did in ours. Men did not vandalize it intentionally. They made feasible military use of it only.


http://www.shovrimshtika.org/oferet/testimonies_e.asp?cat=4

[shira]

5. "...made us confident that our own lives were top priority"

wow....that sounds barbaric. I can't imagine why he'd say something like that.

:eyes:

[bemildred]

2. Yeah, not much of a secret.

But it's probably a good thing to have a public discussion about these things. Sort of like the whole torture thing here in the USA.

[pelsar]

4. its gotten little discussion in israel....

the main reason is that its all anonymous.....when a solider speaks out, uses his real name, the networks "jump" on him for interviews, debates etc.... (the ratings go through the roof). He also gets not only his 15minutes of fame, but quite a bit of scorn by his fellow soldiers/friends....and if he can't back up his claims (even if he can).........he'll get dragged through the virtual fires of the social network.