by Lilach Shoval, Shlomo Cesana and Israel Hayom Staff
New report by human rights group accuses the IDF of covering up wrongdoings by Israeli soldiers during 2014 Gaza campaign • IDF: Allegations biased, another step in the delegitimization campaign B'Tselem wages against the military justice system.
The military on Monday issued a strong
condemnation of the B'Tselem human rights organization, saying its most
recent report on IDF investigations into alleged wrongdoings by Israeli
forces during the 2014 Gaza conflict was "another step in the
delegitimization campaign B'Tselem is waging against the Israeli legal
system in general, and the military justice system in particular."
B'Tselem's new report accused military
decision-makers of opting for operational policies that resulted in the
"unprecedented killing" of Palestinian civilians, further alleging the
IDF is using "an extensive cover-up mechanism" to dismiss claims brought
against Israeli soldiers.
The group's report argues that "investigations
into incidents that took place during Operation Protective Edge engaged
mainly in the creation of false representation of a functioning system,
one ostensibly seeking the truth, while those truly responsible for
violations [of the rules of war] are not investigated. All that is done
is conducting superficial reviews pertaining to individual events devoid
of context."
The report claims that nearly two-thirds of
Palestinian casualties during the military campaigns were civilians,
including 526 minors. Hundreds of Palestinians were killed in airstrikes
on residential areas, "raising suspicions that Israel violated
international humanitarian law."
B'Tselem further claimed that "once again, the
political and military echelons were not questioned by any official
body, and were never held accountable for their decisions."
The group also argued that the Military Judge
Advocate General's decision to dismiss at least 22 cases of alleged
wrongdoing by Israeli soldiers "was based on their review as isolated,
unusual incidents, devoid of any context. ... This interpretation
absolves all parties involved from the obligation to do all they can to
minimize civilian casualties."
A statement by the IDF said: "The report
suffers from extreme bias and unprofessionalism, and it appears that
when trying to paint the Israeli legal system as flawed, B'Tselem
believes the end justifies the means.
"The report either ignores vast information
released by Israel with the aim of promoting transparency, or presents
this information in a distorted manner. The report also demonstrates a
complete lack of understanding of the reality of fighting in the Gaza
Strip, and unprofessionalism in the interpretation and implementation of
the laws of war in this complex reality."
B'Tselem, the IDF said, "ignores the fact that
the airstrikes that led to the death of Palestinian civilians were,
despite their tragic consequences, unusual events. The majority of
airstrikes carried out by the IAF during Operation Protective Edge --
over 6,000 strikes -- resulted in no civilian casualties. If B'Tselem
seeks to deduce findings on the IDF's operational policies, it would be
wise to address those irregular cases in their proper, original
context."
Also on Monday, Coordinator of Government
Activities in the Territories Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai met with U.N.
Middle East envoy Nikolay Mladenov.
The meeting took place in New York, on the
sidelines of a conference held by the Palestinian Authority's donor
countries at the U.N.
The Israeli delegation to the donor conference
is headed by Minister Tzachi Hanegbi (Likud), and includes Foreign and
Finance Ministry officials, as well as military officials.
The Defense Ministry denied a Channel 2 News
report suggesting Mordechai met with Mladenov in violation of Defense
Minister Avigdor Lieberman's order to shun the envoy over his recent criticism of Israel's counterterrorism and settlement policies in Judea and Samaria.
"Contrary to Channel 2's report, the meeting
in New York was held between the Israeli delegation and a U.N.
delegation, during scheduled meetings at the donor conference. This was
not a private meeting, and Maj. Gen. Mordechai attended the session on
the defense minister's orders. The U.N. delegation has no say as to who
the members of the Israeli delegation are, and the Israeli delegation
has no say as to who makes up the composition of the U.N. delegation,"
the ministry said in a statement.
Lilach Shoval, Shlomo Cesana and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=36569
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Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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