Israel suspends commander using human shield
April 14th, 2007 by ashish
Israel has the high moral ground in the Middle East problem, being a democracy, and not representing terrorists. It is mostly seen as a country located in the midst of an Islamic neighbourhood, trying valiantly to keep its citizens safe, to develop the country and keep it isolated from the confusion and anarchy all around it. After it, it has Syria on one side (a country labelled as a supported of terrorism), Lebabon (in the midst of a minor civil war), Palestine West Bank and Gaza (currently run by Hamas, a terrorist organization), and so on.
However, being on a high moral ground has its risks. They have to make sure that they do not take any action that seeks to bring them down to the same moral level as its neighbours. However, in the actions against Palestinian demonstrators and armed men, the temptation must be high to use Palestinians as human shields to prevent damage to the Israeli military personnel. Recognizing this, and the effect that this could have on Israel’s reputation (under constant watch from human rights organizations), Israel has a policy that prohibits use of human shields.
Based on video evidence, the Israeli army has suspended a commander after his unit was accused of used Palestinians as human shields. Footage shows the army forcing Palestinians to stand in front of their armoured jeep. Refer the BBC article:
The Israeli army says it has suspended a commander after the unit he led was accused of using Palestinians as human shields in a West Bank raid.
Amateur video footage shot earlier this week showed Israeli soldiers apparently forcing Palestinians to stand in front of their armoured jeep.
Israeli law forbids the military from using human shields.
