According to S., orders to open fire address situations of a clear and present danger and only if there is a person with the means and intent to kill. "But what is an angry mob throwing stones and sometimes rocks at you if not a life threatening situation? I wouldn't order opening fire at a crowd of people but we can't have a situation where you stand in front of a person with a rock and start to ask yourself is this person life threatening. If I shoot at him I go to jail."
T., a combatant in an infantry brigade, also claims that soldiers are not equipped to handle the complex situation on the ground. "There's nothing more humiliating for a combatant than to see his friends run," he says.
He criticizes the army for sending such a small group of soldiers to Qaddum on Friday at a particularly volatile time.
T. says the cameras on the ground undermine the forces' efforts. "A commander or an officer sees a camera and becomes a diplomat, calculating every rubber bullet, every step. It's intolerable, we're left utterly exposed. The cameras are our kryptonite."
So to be clear, the problem is that with the Palestinians now more capable of documenting atrocities against them, it makes it a hardship on the Israeli troops to dish out those atrocities.
Uh huh. And remember this is taking place on the West Bank, which is essentially land now occupied by the Israelis that the Palestinians historically believe to be their birthright, and which 164 countries refer to as "Occupied Palestinian Land."
Boy it just sucks having to treat human beings like human beings doesn't it?
Here perhaps I can offer the Israelis a little advice. "You know if there is something that you want to do to another human being, that you DON'T want captured on video, perhaps you shouldn't be doing it in the first place. I'm just saying."
(H/T to The Electronic Intifada.)
