Orders were to capture militants alive - so why were they killed?
Three wanted Palestinians who were killed by IDF were not armed and did not try to escape.
By Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff Tags: Nablus Israel newsThe orders prepared by the Judea and Samaria Division for the IDF operation in Nablus last week by a Duvdevan commando unit stated clearly that the unit "was to carry out a raid and capture the wanted men." This wording of the order was passed on to the unit with the approval of GOC Central Command. It was received on Friday December 25, several hours before the raid on the homes of the three suspects in the murder of Rabbi Meir Hai the previous day near Shavei Shomron.
The orders did not include instructions to kill any of the three wanted men. The senior officers who spoke with Haaretz stressed that the soldiers were not given any verbal instructions that were different from those in writing.
An evaluation of the testimonies of family members and the IDF officers suggests that this was not an operation to assassinate. However, the three, Adnan Subuh, Raad Sarkaji and Ghassan Abu Shreikh, were killed by the soldiers, even though two of them were not armed, and it does not even appear that they were trying to escape - a fact that the IDF does not dispute.
Family members of the dead are alleging that the three were executed, and say that the Israeli claims that the three were involved in the killing of Rabbi Hai, 32 hours prior to the incident, are lies. The weapon that the security establishment in Israel says were used to kill the rabbi was found in the home of the third wanted man, Subuh. A ballistic examination proved it was the weapon.
But it is difficult not to wonder how two unarmed men, nearly 40 years old, sleeping in bed near their children and not behaving as wanted men, were killed without even having attempted to escape. It appears that, like in many other operations of this sort, the reality on the ground, and especially early intelligence on the three suspects, predetermined the result of the operation.
The Duvdevan commandos were told that the suspects might be armed and that they murdered Rabbi Hai.
Sources in the IDF argue that the information on the role of the three in the murder was "certain." In such case, any unnecessary movement by one of the "targets" may be life-threatening because it might mean they are going for a weapon. Indeed, an examination of the testimonies of the families and the IDF officers involved in the details of the operation suggests that the two wanted men hesitated in surrendering to the soldiers who came to arrest them, and did move suspiciously, which in turn led to the opening of lethal fire against them.
"We did not murder or assassinate," one of the IDF officers said. "In such instances the security of our forces precedes the security of the enemy."
The Abu Shreikh home
A huge poster of the elder brother, Nayef, was at the top of the stairs in the Abu Shreikh home. He was one of the leaders of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades at the start of the second intifada and was killed by the IDF. Another brother, Nihad, has been in an Israeli prison for the past three years.
The mother of Ghassan, Umm Nayef, says that during the night she heard sounds in the street, and at 2 A.M. she heard a blast. "They blew up the entrance to the inner yard and there was a lot of shouting and smoke. I shouted at them that I was old and told my family 'the Jews, the Jews.' Jihad, my son, went down first, and then his wife and their children. The soldiers beat them and asked them where Ghassan was."
"We all came down and Ghassan was last. But when he was coming downstairs, when he reached the last step, they shot and killed him. They did not say anything, they did not warn - they just shot him. They claimed that there is another person in the house, but we explained that there is no one. They searched the house, turned it over and found no weapons," she continued.
"Ghassan was never a wanted man and had never been arrested," his mother insisted. "He had no connection with the [Palestinian] factions. All his life he was a car electrician. Now his child has nightmares, wakes up shouting 'father, father.' What do you think he will do when he grows up?"
The IDF officers' version is that "the brother came down first. He came slowly, as he had been told to do, and turned before the soldier in order to show that he had nothing under his shirt. The rest of the family did the same except for the wanted man. After a few minutes delay, two stun grenades were thrown in, and the wanted man came out running down the stairs. The soldiers called out in Arabic for him to stop but he continued running. When he came within 2.5 meters away from one of the soldiers, there was no choice but to shoot him."
The run down the staircase may suggest that he was trying to escape through the yard, without realizing that the soldiers had surrounded it. "You must understand that once we surprised the wanted man, each minute that passes he could be surprising us," one of the officers explained.
The Sarkaji home
Raad Sarkaji opened a business selling refrigerators recently. He had been released less than a year ago from an Israeli prison after a seven-year sentence. His wife, Thani, is pregnant in her fifth month. She still wears the blood-soaked nightgown she wore that night. "These are his brains," she says, pointing to the bloodstained wall.
"A little before 3 A.M., I heard a huge blast. We were in bed and said that it must be the army. I heard them speaking Hebrew, and the shooting began before they said a thing. We got to the first door and Raad shouted in Hebrew 'wait, wait.' We went outside, he in front, and the minute he passed the door they shot and killed him. I was injured in the leg and fell backward, and he fell into my arms. I shouted 'Raad, Raad,' and then all his brain fell onto my hands," she recounts.
"Seven soldiers jumped in, and one of them walked up to him and shot him a few times. I shouted that I am pregnant, and to leave me. They began searching the house and told me to call the children, who were in their grandmother's house on the other side."
Walid, a 10-year-old, says that the officer "asked me in Arabic where is my father's weapon and I told him that he had none."
In this case too, the IDF version is different. "The wanted man came out of the room and realized that it was the army, and rushed back inside," an officer who was on the scene says. "The force commander called to his soldiers to make sure he did not have a weapon. Several minutes later he came out again, behind his wife. His hands were hidden. The soldiers called out to him repeatedly, in Arabic, to lift his hands, and he did not do so. There was little choice. The threat to the soldiers was just too great."
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They were the murderers of the Rabbi out on the highway. Terrorist is a subjective term. Not politically correct by the likes of you.
"Those three won`t kill anymore" How do you know they killed anyone ever?
"It was Arab witnesses (the terrorist`s .." Your presumtion of guilt is noted, again. " I saw the video of the assault rifles that were found in the terrorist .." Again... "Makes no sense for IDF to shoot terrorist..." Again "There is no question that these men were wanted terrorist.." Again. " so what is the issue here to speak of?" Whether they were actually terrorists...
I asked you if you read the story. Evidently you didn't. "Two of them were not armed, and it does not appear that they were trying to escape - a fact that the IDF does not dispute".
The lack of accountability dooms you all as it sends a message to the international community and especially to the American people that Israel is a state no longer moral or just in its affairs and consequently isn't no longer worthy of upholding with aid, etc.... Here is the former Israeli Attorney General Michael Ben Yair speaking about this in his 2003 column also... Dutch http://www.seruv.org.il/english/article.asp?msgid=77&type=article
I would have thought that a race that's been persecuted for thousands of years in dozens of countries would have had some empathy now that they have their own state. But no. Now you have power over another race you've taken the persecution game like ducks to water. This has to end. Someone, somewhere must find a solution that both sides can live with and end this barbarity.
well you see human nature is a funny thing especially during a war time. According to Sigmund Freud, man becomes a savage. so in the same analogy, when they are told that Arabs are just bunch of animals and deserve no respect,they have no compassion for them anymore. That's what happens when you completely dehumanize a group of people. So alive or death, they have no value to their eyes...it's a very sad thing because this is not the first time a group of people was discriminated in human history but i guess we human being don't learn from our mistakes. We can be incredibly intelligent yet unbelievably ignorant..."Wild animals never kill for sport. Man is the only one to whom the torture and death of his fellow creatures is amusing in itself."
Were these men innocent and butchered wantonly? did they act in a way that was percieved threatening the IDF soldiers lives? Perhaps it is both or neither. What I do think is that it demonstrates a growing trend that I see. Israel is committed to defending itself, which is a legitimate concern for any nation. However, to me it looks like the responses are out of proportion to the acts committed. although these guys may have been guilty, killing them is not demonstrating a commitment to justice. Its unfair to call it murder since we can't say it is or isn't, but it shows that we need to call to question Israel's tactical responses to these issues, since they don't seem to correct them. This does also mean that Palestinians will need to make a greater collective effort to combat violence, since the violence is a part of the equation.
It seems the Chief rabbi's office also issues orders not always consistent with those given by the Chain of Command. It happened in Gaza. It is worth looking into.
It was Arab witnesses (the terrorist's family members) who claimed they were unarmed. I saw the video of the assault rifles that were found in the terrorist hide out and the men refused to surrender and endangered their own families. Makes no sense for IDF to shoot terrorist because its better to interrogate them for intelligence in order to prevent future attacks. There is no question that these men were wanted terrorist so what is the issue here to speak of?
With any degree of certainty, that these were the killers? The fact is that it couldn't. The only way it could have come up with these guys names as suspects, after a killing with no eyewitnesses and clues, is through an informant. An informant is an unreliable source whose hearsay information is based on local hearsay. Such information is a starting point at best, and certainly not convicting evidence. Maybe that's why the orders were to capture these men "alive", you think? If the IDF can be believed, physical evidence was obtained from the home of "one" individual, but the IDF source being right about one, does not mean it was right about them all. But face it Meo, you really don't care if none of them were guilty. You just like the fact that Palestinians were killed, and if they were the wrong ones, oy vey, right? To you it just means the IDF has to kill some more. That's the part that you like, and they don't have to be guilty of anything, right Meo? Old or young, man or woman, pregnant mothers and suckling babies. They're all criminals, and liars, and they're all out to destroy Israel, right Meo?
I see nothing sinister about this operation. A team of Israeli commandos an Arab city with tacit approval from the Palestinian Authority. In an attempt to exercise a search warrant, the suspects fail to surrender and they are promptly shot. Israel did not bull doze the house, bomb it, or indiscriminately fired into neighborhoods. no, they risked their soldiers lives to prevent civilian casualties. hardly "murder." the suspects themselves have been named and confirmed terrorists - belonging to Fatah's suicide bombing faction. The world is a better place without them. Those from America who express shock, just so you know your government and Britain has killed well over 700 "terrorists" in targeted-killings in Afghanistan since 2008. Of those, 200 were civilians. And I'm not talking about suicide bombers, KIAs include Taliban DRUGLORDs, LOL! Israel should stop behaving like a child. Adopt the military policies of its enemies and critics. End the hypocrisy!
Several comments on your post. 1. I am not Muslim, and many who oppose Israel's policies aren't. 2. If you don't believe Israel lies when truth is unpalatable, you ignore much history. 3. To assume Palestinians are by their nature liars is racist, even for a zionist. 4. I nowhere questioned these Palestinians may have been implicated in terrorist activities. What other Palestinians have done is irrelevant in their being killed. 5. They are not my heroes. However, they do have the natural human right to resist the occupation of their land and oppression. If it takes killing civilians, that's what it takes. 6. I don't call names.
Both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have complained about this and said the Army's failure tohold soldiers properly account-able for their conduct and violations leads to a culture on impunity. Hence, is is any wonder they paid little attention to orders & engaged in lawless and cold bloded killing of Palestinians without fear of dis-cipline...See the URL below. Dutch http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2005/06/21/israel-failure-probe-civilian-casualties-fuels-impunity
To all the Jew and Israeli haters who read this paper...is it the dead Pal terrorists you cry for or the fact that the Stetle Jew dog, kicked in the ass for 2000 years, forever turning the other cheek, is no more? G-D bless the IDF. Find another dog to kick, it will be better for your health.
It appears neither of you have been a combat situation -and have missed the news for the past decade. Just because someone is standing behind their spouse or children does not mean theat they are _not_ concealing a weapon. In fact, in this neighborhood, one's refusal of a direct order by uniformed soldiers to expose one's hands - while hiding behind innocent civilians is grounds for great suspicion. And, when a terror suspect refuses to leave a building, until a _stun_ grenade is thrown, is percieved as rushing a soldier the soldier's reasonable response is to drop the suspect. Please recall that no one else exiting the house was killed or wounded in that incident.
in this situation. Terrorist activity occurred and they retaliated. Case closed. The world is an ass and misjudges Israel at every turn, in fact, twists facts to build cases against the Jewish nation, to the point of absurdity. See the Goldstone/UN travesty as a recent example of hatred and bias. But, Israel is learning once again, that they need to act decisively to protect the nation.
i personally believe that alot of the more blatant incidents of this sort, even in the gaza offensive, are the work of individual soldiers/officers(whose origins and influences are easily drduced), in the brigades that are involved. unfortunately, that does NOT change the complicity of the idf for protecting those involved from being held accountable, nor that of fellow soldiers for maintaining silence despite their own moral objections. and what's NOT reassuring is the cold-blooded ease, sometimes even eagerness, with which these acts are apparently carried out.
Strangely, none of these arab supporters even mention the wrongfullness of killing the father driving on the road. Kill him just because he was a jew? But it is wrong to kill known terrorists? Come on supporters of terror! Be a bit wiser now, as you are losing support big time all over the world. Become a real innocent muslim now! Is it not what your religion teaches you????? May be it is time to practice it too????
You could have sounded even more self satisfied and smug if there was a firefight with women and children around.
where delay could have resulted in a firefight with many dead and wounded. All these "suspects" had to do was come out with their hands up calling out they are coming out unarmed and ready to surrender.!
... but there are informants in nearly every Arab village in the WB. Murderers of Jews are not overly smart, and cannot seem to keep quiet about such a noble accomplishment. The word gets around fast. IDF was not shooting the first three random Arabs they came across. It should be obvious that the IDF cannot disclose every detail that was given to them without putting their informer(s) at risk. It is too bad that perfect law in the Western sense cannot be played out in the badlands of the WB, but that is not Israel's fault. It will get better, however.
Bravo! IDF Fights Evil!
it doesn't matter what we do, they are right and we are wrong. we can't do anything without us being wrong. we were wrong when rockets hit sderot after the disengagment, we were wrong when we left lebanon, we were wrong in defensive shield and we were wrong in cast lead. hell, i think we were wrong in the yom kippur war. i was in Cast Lead and i along with everyone else who faught, did so admirably. i have nothing to be ashamed off, but i am still wrong
I will believe IDF/Israeli account more than testimony from Palestinans who are known liars and who say the truth only when they make mistake. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1137742.html? ...Security officials said the three had been involved in the fatal shooting attack on Thursday that killed 40-year-old father of seven Meir Hai near the settlement of Shavei Shomron, where he lived. ...Israeli defense officials said that the Palestinians were implicated in various terrorist actions in recent years, and that the IDF moved against them after they had refused to cease their activities as part of the pardon agreement. ...Now tell me how you know that IDF account of the event is a lie? Because Palestinians said so? Why should I trust Palestinians after they lied about Al Dura,Tuvia,Jenin massacre,Gaza beach massacre etc? Look ahmed. As long as your heroes resist occupation by killing intentionally civilians,you won't have my support.Clear enough? Now waddle back to name calling.
complaining is pointless. israelis will do what they believe is their right to do according to their own rules.
We still have a IDF hit squad. What I can't figure out is if they are actually a Palestine hit squad with stolen IDF uniforms. Only certain families are being hit and I am wondering if it is a power fluctuation inside the regime of Al Queda, or Taliban. Maybe even the Hamas and Fatah but they want the IDF framed. Do we really have IDF squad of killers lose who are working for a parliment member to frame and keep causing war. They would be cashing in on landmines, weapons dealings,and publicity to keep peace. It not me. I saw them in action once. His wife needs to be taken to the hospital and medicated so her mind will heal and she and her children safe. Maybe a unit for all of them to give her peace. Gentle care. Don't hurt her in anyway. Rankoo-Karoon
It is certainly true armed terrorists are dangerous, but in fact two of the men killed were not armed. Did you read the story?
"The question is if they deserved to die for crimes they committed and the answer is clearly YES" Idiot. The article says two were unarmed and both families claim they were not associated with any paramilitary groups. They may or may not have been involved. Even someone with half a brain can't arrive at the conclusion based solely on the IDF claims that all 3 were guilty as accused. Maybe you have less than a half a brain?
You twist the point in purpose in order to deceipt. You know that a Jew would never shoot against an IDF soldier. When IDF soliders are sent against settler Jews the maximum you get are spits, kicking and shouting. However, there are good basis to believe that palestinians would use weapons against soldiers. This fear is the cause of this tragedy, which is indeed a tragedy that should not have happened.
on your task. One wonders why the Israel bashers on this page have not protested about the poor innocent Rabbi of 7 who was mowed down, or his family. Typical. The IDF know from long experience what they are are up against and acted appropriately. Question, how was the Rabbi supposed to defend himself - there was no chance and no negotiation.
Why take chances with mass murdering serial killers who are fugitives from Justice, armed and dangerous. I am glad no soldiers were injured and look at the bright side that these terrorist became martyrs as they wished to be.
Video evidence would probably confirm most stories. Israel has been using hasbara for decades. You would think the army could video such situations if they wanted no ambiguity. In the end Israel prefer to be judged on the question .. does the world believe the IDF and Israel on such occasions ?
Has been deteriorating so fast it has reached a very low point indeed. It is not that I am opposed to execution, but it has to be done in a court of law. From everything I read, these guys were suspect and deserved a trial. I am not saying they are innocent, but I am saying instead of rushing to kill, just implement the death penalty in your legal system to make sure you are killing the right people. This way you get your vengeance many times over without sinking further in world opinion.
These three were summarily executed and therefore there was no opportunity to prove or disprove what they did or didn't do. This is not the action of a democratic western country. It is the action of a cowboy nation.
But guess what - those lucky old Jewish refugees from all over the world have been given a homeland by the world community. The Palestinians are still waiting for the return of theirs!
Perhaps the IDF should follow the example of what a truly democratic country does when apprehending a dangerous man. Quote from the BBC - life-threatening situation for the Mohammed cartoonist: "Jakob Scharf, who heads the Danish intelligence service Pet, said the attack was "terror related" and that the suspected assailant has close contacts to Somalia's al-Shabab group. He had been under surveillance for activities unrelated to Mr Westergaard, Mr Scharf said. Police said he was shot in the knee and the shoulder after threatening officers who tried to arrest him. Preben Nielsen of Aarhus police, said the man was seriously hurt but his life was not in danger."
The question is if they deserved to die for crimes they committed and the answer is clearly YES so what if they were killed who cares? Certainly not families of their victims. But I see a bunch of terror lovers here who wanted to see them arrested so they can complain about innocent Palestinians hold against their will in Israeli prisons and hoping they will be included in Shalit swap and freed soon. I feel sorry for those who care more for murderers than for their victims.
All of you Israel bashers and Jew haters have to at least understand who the Israelis are up against, and then you can go back to your pointless drivel: Hamas et al are a brutal enemy that not only focuses on killing Israeli civilians (they are no match for the IDF) but an enemy that risks the lives of their own civilians in the process. How dare all of you make assumptions on the level of danger involved in apprehending these lovely neighbors. I say three dead terrorists are better than three captured terrorists. Why on earth would Israel take them alive and wait for them to be released in another botched Schalit deal? Wars are not won with humanitarian, tentative moves. Wars are won with decisive, overwhelming force. Get over it. Be safe IDF.
Israel's own view of their activities in the West Bank, as evidenced by the Supreme Court decisions that are supposed to dictate security actions in Judea and Samaria, is that of a police action. If you read the way the Army and Court justify this stuff to Israel's "democratic" record keepers, it sounds like police approaching a suspect in some neighborhood. In reality, it's undercover hit squad of the army. The explanation and justification you're reading in this article are that of the quaint police action that never existed.
Joe, if there wouldn t be hate and perpetual war Israel wouldn?t show up on the frontpages of international media since decades on daily basis. There wouldn?t be international support for Israel if Israel wouldn?t claim to be the victim. Guess why these allegedly criminal Palestinians have been shot by IDF instead of being prosecuted by law. Israel will again show up in the headlines ?.. as a victim ?..
Sorry, but unless they can prove the Palestinian suspects were unarmed and did not resist, I refuse to accept their version at face value. It'll take more than that to convince me.
if his wife had stood behind him, she too would be dead! or don't you understand how things work? her best chance for survival was to be IN FRONT of the target! and how can he have been using his wife as a shield when he was surrendering? nice try david, but your typical right-wing zionist stereotype of palestinians DOES NOT APPLY. and by the way, it takes far more courage to surrender to an armed force than it does for an armed force to ruthlessly gun down an unarmed man who is surrendering. you need to rethink your perception of the word "coward"; and who the cowards were in this situation. finally, your post does not address anything in mine; so what was your point...other than to display YOUR failure to see through the veil of deceit the idf has cast over these executions.
Palestinian Brit envisions the Palestinian refugees standing on the border of their homeland. After all the injustice the Palestinians have suffered must we still listen to this nonsense. Since WW2 there have been Jewish refugees, refugees from India, Pakistan, Armenia, Vietnem, Balkans, USSR republics, Sri Lanka, Angola, Uganda, Darfur, Rwanda, etc etc etc. Why does the Paletinian refugee problem persist? The posting by the 'Palestinian Brity' might give you a hint.
The only democratic state in the Middle East? Israelis dont know what democracy is! I want to laugh but it is better to cry, Democratic state - You don't have a clu....
If the orders were not to kill than probably some IDF soldiers and officers are in detention now, if not do not bother. Saving the life of the suspects was clearly not a priority. I trust the capabilities of the IDF too much to believe that they can fail three times.
The inconsistencies in the IDF's tale you point out are reassuring in at least one way. It suggests that the killings really weren't planned out ahead of time, and the stories had to be cobbled together at the last minute. Of course, it might be that since everyone knows perfectly well what happened anyway, the IDF doesn't feel any need to make its storyline believable. It's just pro forma.
Typical IDF reponse. Creating more Palestinian fighters from innocents.
- so why was anyone killed? Why didn't they just send a truck and crew in to pick up all the rockets peacefully, and take them out to the Negev somewhere, and blow them up? Sounds about as stupid a question, doesn't it?
For a non-Jew in a country far away from Israel, it is amazing and dismaying that the sons and grandsons of the Holocaust can behave in such a way.
Common sense has to prevail. The safety of Israeli soldiers has to come before any consideration for the terrorists.In the future should the Israeli political leaders think of releasing terrorists for any reason, It is best to kill them outright.
does anyone know what happens in the undemocratic moslem countries? there is obviously no discussion in the press, no criticism etc. Israel is the only democratic country in the entire region of the Middle East oh dear I forgot the unstable 'democracy' of Iraq. So people are free to criticise like on this site. I wonder if some of you were in the field; would you wait for these murderers to surrender or would you be frightened? its easy to criticise in the safety of your home; your home is not the battlefield. have some respect for a democratic country
It's people like you who will keep Israel and its citizens living in fear, chaos, wars, killing, counter killing, misery, fear. When are you going to seek peace? Do it before it's forced upon you. Think about it for a minute.
Yes, I would hide behind my wife if I knew some trigger-happy IDF soldiers just blew a hole in my house. Hopefully the delay would allow me to surrender peacefully and not leave my wife a widow... Oh wait, they shot anyways even when ordered to capture me alive. I'm actually surprise the IDF Brass even tries anymore with those lame excuses.
I have a hard time believing the IDF's account given their long history of getting caught lying and later having to admit that they were perhaps trigger happy when dealing with Palestinians. Had the wanted been Jews who reacted in the exact same way to being arrested, I guarantee you that they would not have even been shot, much less killed, but to IDF soldiers today, an arrest warrant of a Palestinian is to them a licence to kill. Unfortunately Israel has today become that which Jews themselves once feared.
In responce to Mickey Hala.According to you Killing Palestinains is o.k. So Israel now is to desend to the law of the savage. Palestinains have no human rights. The IDF the most moral army in the world, well this proves otherwise. Murder is Murder and these soliders should NOT be above the law. They must be brought before a court of law and tried. Now you see why the people of the world is turning against Israel.
nor the alleged kill a jew you go to heaven criteria will make the children of those murdered men , and their neighbors children want to grow up and fight Israel , but the crminal deeds of the IDF and the society that stands behind it . That is what creates hate and perpetual war. Nothing else.. Israel will reap what it had sewn for the last 60 years...
It was a military action and as such it gave to the solders more flexibility in order to acomplish it succesfully.
1. The IDF admits the 1st 2 were unarmed and had no weapons. 2. The IDF never claimed they were not involved in the murder. The driver did no necessarily have a gun. The other one may not bring his gun home at night. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out.
most of the so-called political prisoners are not political - they have been caught in the act. The children are those sent to sneak weapons through the border, including knives and fire bombs. The women are drivers of suicide bombers, who have in the past blown themselves up while being pregnant. The men are part of an organization that promote terrorism, and as such are involved in terror acts. As you say yourselves, none of this is an acceptable form of resisting 'occupation'
I also believe the PA told them where the terrorists were.
Maybe they thought there was not point in keeping them alive and send them to prison so Hamas kidnapped more Israeli soldiers in order to exchange them. Besides they save Israel the food. Probably they could not catch them and it is better to have them dead so they cannot kill anyone else.
get always freed and return to terror. Just as may well happen with those swaped for Shalit.
they should abandon terrorism, and more than that - arming themselves as a real army. They have weapons and use them as combatants, then they go home and say they are civilians. The same as Iraq. If you want to fight you have to bear the consequences. Millions of German non-combatants died in WWII, yet no British, US or Soviet soldier has been prosecuted. In military operations, there is no time to check the CV of everyone involved...
unlike yourself I live here and have to deal with the consequences..while you sit in New York drinking coffee and posting from your laptop...
Typical Palestinian cowardly way of hiding behind his wife,or you did not understand this point.This is what happened in cast lead and the whole world is against Israel for defending it's citizens from these cowards,even worse they hid behind children. Would you hide behind your wife if you were about to be arrested?
"Three wanted Palestinians who were killed by IDF were not armed and did not try to escape". In the civilized world, that is murder.This makes the IDF the most immoral army in the western world, a law unto itself.A band of criminals, the proof is here for all to read.
"..there was no choice but to shoot." Oh, come off it.
"We did not murder or assassinate," one of the IDF officers said. "In such instances the security of our forces precedes the security of the enemy." Peacefully Driving civilians were too much for the UGLY terrorists. He had to be killed. Shame. Good work Amos/Avi.!!
why would he passively come out, behind his wife or otherwise, and refuse to raise his hands as ordered? he was unarmed...he was caught...and he was obeying the orders to come out; so what reason in the world would he have to refuse raising his hands? and the idf's version of the other guy running down the stairs? have you ever "run" anywhere, especially down stairs, without your hands being fully visible to anyone watching? and HOW many weapons aimed at him should he stop and reach for something? p.s.-"written orders" don't mean a damn thing. c-y-a to appease the gullible...that's about it.
1. Two of them appeared to be unarmed. If the IDF say they were, where are the weapons? 2. Two of them were not connected to the murder of the Rabbi - did the IDF know that when they killed them? 3. Will the soldiers who shot them be charged with murder?
Palestinians have the right to protest and resist the Israeli occupation. They should not do this in a violent way, which does not do its cause any good at all. I live for the day when all Palestinian refugees gather on the borders of their homeland and refuse to move until they are allowed home. The true picture of the Naqba would then be evident for the world to see.
Proposal. Netanyahu and Haniyeh meet, have a meal together, and talk to each other man to man. Heart to heart. This is the only way either side will work out their fears and/or their concerns. What's the harm in trying that ?
Terrorists are only Palestinians. The only democracy's army ethics have not to be critised. Time is working for us said Sharon. It is obvious.
This quick action to eliminate murderers is more effective than locking them up and freeing them later. Mission accomplished. Good job. Maybe they'll think twice before killing an innocent Rabbi next time. I will cry no tears for the villains.
Now that was a big oops. I don't care. Do you?
The murder of unarmed scapegoats for the killing of the settler rabbi satisfies the blood lust of the rabid right, and of course when they're shot on sight, dead men can't testify as to their innocence - Happy New Year Everyone!
The Orders were to take the militants alive, so why were they killed? Easy, if you take the wrong militants alive, they get tried and released because you arrested innocent people. If you kill them, then they are automatically guilty and you are automatically right. What to do? Admit you cannot find the guilty and have that fact revealed in court? Or murder random individuals who will then be 'assumed' to be guilty? The "answer' is simple, kill anyone and claim they are guilty, and you are credited with killing terrorists. Arrest the same people and lose the case at trial, and suffer the consequence. The dead 'terrorist' is the 'terrorist' you do not have to prove was a 'terrorist.' In America this is described as 'kill them all and let God sort it out." Better Arabs murdered than Arabs not murdered. Better Israelis get away with murdering Arabs than anyone be punished. Is this the world that the decent folks who founded Israel wanted to create?
Eventually most (if not all) arrested Palestinian terrorists are released either by personal request of US, or as "goodwill" to PA, or in exchange for a kidnapped Israeli. Killed terrorists no longer can harm anyone.
Isn't this the way the IDF always operates, orders or no orders?
and then release them for Shalit? IDF have done an excellent job. Eye for an eye!!!
Sleeping men were too great for the mighty IDF. They had to be killed. Shame.
sorry wrong spelling
Raiding some homes, killing a few. traumatizing some families, business as usual for the IDF it seems. Maybe the soldiers, or better, the state of Israel, should now sew the wife for not doing justice to their fair intentions in her account of what has happened that night....