'The killing fields of Rafah'

[Aidoneus]

The killing fields of Rafah
By Gideon Levy

Quietly, far from the public eye, Israeli soldiers continue killing Palestinians. Hardly a day goes by without casualties, some innocent civilians, and the stories of their violent deaths never reach the Israeli consciousness or awareness. If there is one consistent piece of data in the current intifada, it is the number of Palestinian casualties: dozens a month, unceasingly.

There were 30 in November, 57 in October, 33 in September. In May and June, the number of casualties reached 60 a month (all data supplied by B'Tselem). While Palestinian terror shocks us with its brutality, the daily killing of innocent Palestinians in far greater numbers is ignored - unless it is a case of an army operation as in Nusseirat refugee camp in October.

Here's a list of victims from the last month, taken from the margins of the daily newspaper chronicles: A 32-year-old motorcyclist shot to death in the chest after soldiers said he tried to escape a checkpoint near Iskar refugee camp; a 10-year-old boy from Sejaya in Gaza who was bird hunting with a slingshot near the separation fence around Gaza, killed by a tank shell fired at him; an eighth-grader from Barukin, near Jenin, who threw stones at soldiers, shot dead; a youth shot to death during "disturbances" after the funeral of his friend in Jenin; a taxi driver and father of six shot to death in Tul Karm by soldiers who thought he was trying to get away; a 15-year-old killed in Yata during some arrests; a nine-year-old killed by IDF fire in Rafah; and three Palestinians who were on their way to the holiday dinner last Wednesday in Gaza, killed by soldiers who claimed they thought the three were an armed cell.

The IDF admitted the next day that they were "accidentally" killed. But a day later, Brigadier General Gad Shamni, commander of the Gaza forces in the Strip hurried to say the soldiers actually behaved correctly. Even though three innocent people were killed, he didn't even think it was a mistake.

--snip--

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/366499.html

[bluesoul]

1. The "most moral army"

fighting against terrorism...

[Violet_Crumble]

2. Yes....

And with a bit of a jiggle, a little spin here and a little spin there, as well as a dollop of industrial strength Play Dough, even a ten year old kid out hunting birds can be turned into a dangerous terrorist whose killing was justified for security purposes. Don't believe me? Watch it happen in front of yr eyes as those who own the ACME Create-A-Terrorist-For-The-Most-Moral-Army-In-The-World-To-Justifiably-Shoot Kit come out of the woodwork ;)


Violet...

[bemildred]

3. An odd kind of "security" it is, too. nt