Submitted by ssaliba on
[19 May 2015] - Testimony from over 60 Israeli soldiers has recently emerged raising further questions over the legality of Israeli tactics in operation Protective Edge. The Investigation was conducted by Breaking the Silence, an Israeli organisation that looks at the activities of the country's army in the occupied territories. In a series of interviews with members of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), many of whom ranked as high up as Majors in the army, it has been found that soldiers were told to view everything in Gaza as a “threat.”
The report, published earlier this month, uncovered many unsettling details regarding the the “lax” approach to the use of armed force. Among them are stories of random tank fire on civilian buildings, revenge attacks[1] and the intentional demolition of homes.[2] Other accounts state that anyone over 1.40 meters tall and male, was deemed a terrorist, and a legitimate target.[3] It has also been suggested that large artillery weapons were specifically used in order to promote fear among civilians in an attempt to clear areas, and reduce the number of situations in which soldiers had to put themselves at risk to differentiate between civilian and combatants.[4] The report states that IDF personnel took a liberal approach to bombing prohibited civilian targets, such as school, hospitals, UN facilities, and essential utilities such as water and power stations; when in doubt of the origins of Hamas rocket fire. One account states that some towns saw every prohibited civilian target, marked clearly on a map for army personnel, bombed with the permission of senior members of IDF command.[5]
Avihai Stollar, research director of Breaking the Silence, states that "In mid-March we reached out to the chief of staff of the military and sent him a letter asking him to meet urgently in order to discuss the testimonies of the soldiers and we never received a positive response or any response in that regard." The Israeli military released a public statement after the report was published, saying it remains committed to investigating concerns surrounding IDF conduct in operation Protective Edge, but that Breaking the Silence has not provided any proof of its claims.
According to the UN, during last summers war, 2100 Palestinians were killed. Over 1500 civilians, of which 538 children, were among the dead.The high number of civilian casualties has lead many to question the extent to which Israeli forces adhered to International Humanitarian standards on the legitimate use of armed force. The report sheds new light on the disproportionate death toll in Gaza, and raises questions over Israeli arms supply, due to the liberal manner in which bullets and artillery were used during the campaign.
Since the recent conflict, Palestine has ratified the Rome Statute, giving the International Criminal Court (ICC) competence to prosecute crimes that fall under its mandate if committed in or from Palestinian territory. For the ICC to assert jurisdiction over potential international crimes, there must be evidence that Israeli authorities are unwilling or unable to investigate and bring IDF soldiers to justice. The Prosecutor is currently conducting a preliminary probe, but has yet to receive information from the Israeli Government.
[1] “This is How We Fought in Gaza Soldiers,” Testimonies and Photographs from Operation “Protective Edge,” Breaking the Silence, (2014), p163-164. Link: http://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/pdf/ProtectiveEdge.pdf
[2] ibd p38-41
[3] ibd p38-39
[4] ibd p159-160
[5] ibd 189-190