(Israel Defense Forces) - On Monday, Amnesty International issued a 76-page report on Israel's Operation Defensive Shield in Jenin and Nablus that accuses the IDF of war crimes. The IDF Spokesperson issued the following response: During the past 2 years, Palestinian terrorist factions perpetrated over 14,500 terror attacks, claiming the lives of 624 Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers. All IDF operations adhere to international humanitarian law, in strict compliance with the highest moral and legal standards. In glaring contrast, Palestinian terrorist factions defy all norms, be they moral or legal, deliberately attacking civilians only because they are Israeli. As part of its adherence to the rules of the conduct of war, the IDF goes to great lengths to avoid harming civilians, especially children. This concern is an integral part of soldier training, of the regulations governing when to open fire, of orders issued by commanders, of operational plans, and of the message conveyed by the highest-ranking officers. Regrettably, while some civilians have been injured during the fighting against the Palestinian terrorist groups, in no case were these injuries intentional. Those hurt were either individuals involved in Palestinian terrorist activity, or civilians who were unintentionally hurt when they entered a live-fire zone. The terrorist factions have transformed Palestinian civilian population centers into terrorist activity headquarters. Authors of the Amnesty report compare IDF operations in which Palestinian children were killed to Palestinian terror attacks in which Israeli children were killed. This comparison is unjustified and baseless. Palestinian terror attacks, especially suicide bombings, are designed to cause the death of Israeli civilians, including children. On the other hand, IDF activity is not aimed at injuring civilians.
2002-11-05 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive