Israeli Soldiers Confess To Harsh Tactics

[OneNamedNameLess]

A group of Israeli soldiers have spoke out about the armed forces assault on Gaza several months ago. This is not the first time Israeli soldiers have blackened Israel's image by revealing the horror of the armies conduct in the area. Too bad this has come out months later. It's not even that big a news story at the moment.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8151336.stm

http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20090715/wl_mcclatchy/3272283

This is rather shocking btw and sounds like the kind of behaviour so called terrorist groups are accused of such as using human shields.

Israeli soldiers who served in the Gaza (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gaza) Strip during the offensive of December and January have spoken out about being ordered to shoot without hesitation, destroying houses and mosques with a general disregard for Palestinian lives.

In testimony that will fuel international and Arab demands for war crime investigations, 30 combat soldiers report that the army's priority was to minimise its own casualties to maintain Israeli public support for the three-week Operation Cast Lead.

One specific allegation is that Palestinians were used by the army as "human shields" despite a 2005 Israeli high court ruling outlawing the practice. "Not much was said about the issue of innocent civilians," a soldier said. "There was no need to use weapons like mortars or phosphorous," said another. "I have the feeling that the army was looking for the opportunity to show off its strength."

That was from the Guardian. Have a look at the others.

[NecroCommie]

Bah! The Israeli ruffian state at work. I am glad that it's soldiers still have some honorable ones amongst their midst.

[Colonello Buendia]

this is merely confirmation of something we all new

[Pogue]

IDF scum

[Misanthrope]

this is merely confirmation of something we all new

Yup. It will be interesting to see the reaction to this, from the right. I have been arguing that this has been going on in many debates and this is just the smoking gun.

[progressive_lefty]

It is such a concern how this is just dismissed by so many Western Governments. It really shows just how nothing applies to Israel, not human rights or international law. That same line is taken, Israel is Jewish, so therefore that means it can't do anything wrong. Then people say, 'why do you always talk about Israel and not Darfur?' Well you won't find many countries supporting what is happening and has happened in Darfur, but you won't struggle to find supporters for Israel globally, or even in your own city.

[Skramz]

Zionism is terrorism. It'll be interesting to see how the Neo-Cons and Zionists from both sides of the aisle try an defend this. My guess is they'll play the name calling game.

[9]

It is such a concern how this is just dismissed by so many Western Governments. It really shows just how nothing applies to Israel, not human rights or international law. That same line is taken, Israel is Jewish, so therefore that means it can't do anything wrong. Then people say, 'why do you always talk about Israel and not Darfur?' Well you won't find many countries supporting what is happening and has happened in Darfur, but you won't struggle to find supporters for Israel globally, or even in your own city.

What concerns me about this analysis is, among other things, the role you seem to assign to "many Western Governments". You seem to be implying that the imperialist superpowers (namely the US/UK) are the upholders of human rights and international law, but that they make an exception and ignore Israel's crimes because Israel is Jewish. Or something to that extent. The imperial superpowers don't uphold human rights/international law, they define it and they dictate when, whether, and to whom it is applicable. They determine, by economic influence and force, who does and doesn't play by "the rules", and "the rules" are defined based upon the shared economic class interests of the powers that be. So no, the Zionist State is not "getting away" with committing monstrous crimes because 'its Jewish' or any similarly flimsy assumption, it is "getting away" with committing monstrous crimes because the imperial superpowers and their client states are exempt from "the rules" (human rights, international law, etc.).

[progressive_lefty]

What concerns me about this analysis is, among other things, the role you seem to assign to "many Western Governments". You seem to be implying that the imperialist superpowers (namely the US/UK) are the upholders of human rights and international law, but that they make an exception and ignore Israel's crimes because Israel is Jewish. Or something to that extent. The imperial superpowers don't uphold human rights/international law, they define it and they dictate when, whether, and to whom it is applicable. They determine, by economic influence and force, who does and doesn't play by "the rules", and "the rules" are defined based upon the shared economic class interests of the powers that be. So no, the Zionist State is not "getting away" with committing monstrous crimes because 'its Jewish' or any similarly flimsy assumption, it is "getting away" with committing monstrous crimes because the imperial superpowers and their client states are exempt from "the rules" (human rights, international law, etc.).

I can agree with you that Western countries do dictate international/human rights law, but most of my criticism was directed at the support Israel gets from the so-called Jewish organisations that immediately perceive criticism of the IDF as being some sort of pre-meditated attack on Jewish people as a whole.