IDF Orders Probe into Allegations over Gaza War – Amos Harel http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1072350.html In the wake of an Ha’aretz expose, the Israel Defense Forces on Thursday ordered an investigation into soldiers’ accounts of alleged misconduct and serious violations of the army’s rules of engagement. Military Advocate General Brig. Gen. Avichai Mendelblit instructed the Military Police Investigation unit to launch the probe after the report of a discussion by soldiers at a military cadet academy. The IDF Spokesman’s Office said: “The IDF has no supporting or prior information about these events. The IDF will check their veracity and investigate as required.” (Ha’aretz)

See also Israel TV Defense Correspondent: The Credibility of the Soldiers’ Stories Is Very Doubtful – Roni Daniel http://www.mako.co.il/vod-index/news-news-2009/march/VOD-12c4db2ac002021006.htm The soldier who described the shooting of a woman and her two children was called into his commanding officer and stated, “I didn’t see it myself. There were stories like this. I wasn’t in that house and all that I said was based on rumors. The conference (where I related the story) was a social conversation, and that’s how I related to it.” The soldier who described the shooting of an elderly woman admits he doesn’t know the full story. “The credibility of the two stories is very doubtful,” the correspondent concluded. (Israel Television Channel 2-Hebrew)

IDF Soldiers Refute Claims of Immoral Conduct in Gaza – Daniel Edelson http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3689388,00.html IDF soldiers who took part in January’s offensive in Gaza refuted on Thursday claims of immoral conduct on the military’s part. Assaf Danziger, 21, a Givati Brigade soldier, said soldiers were given specific orders to open fire only at armed terrorists or people who posed a threat. “There were no incidents of vandalism at any of the buildings we occupied. We did only what was justified and acted out of necessity. No one shot at civilians. People walked by us freely,” he recounted. A Paratroopers Brigade soldier who participated in the war called the claims “nonsense.” “There are always a few idiots who act inappropriately, but most of the soldiers represented Israel honorably and with a high degree of morality.”

Major (res.) Idan Zuaretz, a Givati company commander, questioned the integrity of the soldiers who made the controversial claims, saying, “if this was such a burning issue for them, why have they remained silent until now? On an ethical and moral level, they were obligated to stop what they claimed had occurred and not wait two months to be heard at some esoteric debate.” (Ynet News)

The Crucial Morality of the IDF’s Cause – Herb Keinon http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1237461630293&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull At what appears to have been a group therapy session at the Yitzhak Rabin pre-military preparatory course at Oranim Academic College in Kiryat Tivon in February, three soldiers told of cases in which civilians were killed by sniper fire, and of the wanton destruction of property. The IDF military advocate general instructed the Criminal Investigation Division of the Military Police on Thursday to investigate the claims. The country fights not because it wants to, but because it has to. And since it has to, it is crucial that Israelis believe in the morality of their cause. The idea of a moral army is not important because of how we are perceived abroad, but rather for how we perceive ourselves.

Obviously, everyone abroad who wants to accuse Israel of war crimes in Gaza will jump at these stories; every anti-Israel NGO will disseminate them as further proof of our evil. What is lacking is context. It is important to note that none of the testimony was about what the soldiers did themselves, but rather of what they heard or saw other soldiers do. The second piece of context is Dani Zamir, the head of the course, who had the soldiers’ words transcribed and published. Zamir appears in a 2004 book titled Refusnik, Israel’s Soldiers of Conscience, described as “an officer in the reserves from Kibbutz Ayelet Hashahar who was sentenced to 28 days for refusal to serve in Nablus.” The testimonies of the soldiers that he brought to the public’s attention seem to corroborate – what a coincidence – his views. (Jerusalem Post)

H/t Holly