(Jerusalem Post) Gil Shefler - In 2006, at the height of the fierce battle with Hizbullah over the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbail, infantryman Inon Tagner, 20, faced an almost impossible dilemma. He thought he saw a Hizbullah terrorist strapping an explosives belt on an elderly woman, who then started walking toward where his platoon had taken cover. Despite persistent calls from him and other soldiers for the woman to halt, she kept approaching. When the woman came near enough to be identified with certainty as carrying an explosives belt, the order was given to open fire. The dead woman did indeed have an explosives belt wrapped around her. Tagner's story illustrates the challenges IDF soldiers face on an everyday basis in trying to balance their mission to protect Israel from its enemies with respecting human rights. Stand With Us, a pro-Israel advocacy group, has organized a U.S. speaking tour for several former IDF soldiers this month. For information on the tour's itinerary, see www.soldiersspeakout.com.
2010-10-08 09:46:02Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive