How an IDF general whitewashed the killing of three innocent Palestinians

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

http://972mag.com/how-an-idf-general-whitewashed-the-killing-of-three-innocent-palestinians/121504/

On March 10, 1998, at about 6 p.m., a white van carrying 12 Palestinian laborers heading home from work approached the Tarqumiyah crossing, between Israel and the southern West Bank. As the van entered the checkpoint, it veered slightly to the right, hitting one of the soldiers lightly. The soldier would later say that it wasn’t an accident, and that he saw “rage coming out of the driver’s eyes.” The soldiers, apparently aware of an alert issued the previous day of an imminent car-ramming attack, thought they saw one unfolding and opened fire. Three passengers were killed and another two were injured.

The head of the IDF’s West Bank division at the time, Brig. Gen. Yitzhak Eitan, initially claimed that “a preliminary investigation yielded that an attempt was made to run over a soldier, and the checkpoint staff responded accordingly.” However, eyewitnesses told Haaretz reporters Amos Harel and Sami Sokol that the van changed lanes because it had an Israeli license plate, and the driver noticed he was entering the Palestinian-only lane. The very same night, then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu phoned Yasser Arafat and extended his condolences. He later dubbed the incident “an unfortunate mistake.”

A week later, one of the surviving passengers told Haaretz that “the soldiers opened fire after another was waving towards us to move forward. One soldier didn’t see him and, thinking we were about to break through, started firing.” A report by Israeli human rights group B’Tselem the following year quoted an IDF investigation saying that the cause of the incident was faulty brakes.

Over the last few weeks, this case has been vaunted repeatedly by Dayan as an example of how errant shooters should be treated by army commanders. As GOC, Dayan was responsible for the lives of millions of occupied Palestinians, yet repeatedly and unflinchingly showcased the intricate cover-up apparatus of the most moral army in the world. Perhaps unwittingly, he drew the attention to the true culprits: the Dayans and the Ashkenazis, the Sharons and Baraks, and all the other generals (not to mention generations of cabinet ministers).

Palestinian lives are cheap to Israel.

[Little Tich]

1. Only the completely deluded can continue to believe that the IDF has high moral standards.

These coverups are only possible if there's corruption at all levels in the chain of command.

[shira]

2. The author of this piece of trash is another 1-state advocate, supporter of Hamas.

No reason to take it seriously.

[oberliner]

4. This is basically a Just Vision press release

No actual reporting.

[Little Tich]

6. Do you think Dayan lied about the coverup? n/t

[shira]

8. I don't trust the source.

Anti-Zionists for 1-state deliberately incite hatred and violence & support terror. IMO they're the neo-Nazis of our time and I could care less what they say and write about Jews.

[Little Tich]

9. If the OP is even remotely accurate, then Dayan will testify in favor of Azaria.

Perhaps we'll hear more about the alleged coverup then...

[shira]

10. The source of the OP is shit. When it hits a more mainstream source, let me know. n/t

[6chars]

11. with 972 EVERY time there is some critical misrepresentation

either they leave out context (e.g., that a soldier was attacked prior to taking the reported defensive action) or treat assertion as fact (Hamas rep says there was no missile launched) or exaggerate and catastrophize (oh, the poor olive tree saplings that provide sustenance for millions), and their favorite, make a connection to Nazis.

Part of the anti-Israel industry.

[shira]

12. Exactly. n/t

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

3. I always fund it humorous that the deniers of IDF wrongs

always attack the messenger, but seemingly can't refute the message.

[Little Tich]

7. I attack the messenger too, sometimes, but only when it's actually necessary.

But then again, it's not easy to refute the OP by calling an IDF General a liar...

[6chars]

5. Palestinians' fault, not Israel's

Step 1) PA/Hamas announce plan to have random car ramming attack to kill Israeli soldiers in next day
Step 2) Israeli issues warning to soldiers to be on alert for rammers
Step 3) Wait for some poor Palestinian civilians to drive erratically near soldier
Step 4) When Israeli soldier shoots erratically driving Palestinian, sing to the world about the cruelty of Israel
Step 5) Wait for useful idiots to echo the story ad infinitum

One of the main effects of the Palestinian strategy of random terror attacks, i.e., by people dressed as civilians, is that Palestinians civilians who are not terrorists are more likely to be victims of mistakes like this. One might ask, are the Palestinian leaders not aware that this could harm their constituents? The answer is, they are indeed aware of this and it is a feature not a bug. This is sort of stochastic involuntary martyrdom, or better, stochastic terrorism against their own people.

Palestinian lives are cheap to the Palestinian leadership.

This kind of strategy also leads Israel, rationally, to impose greater restrictions on movement for security reasons and that is also a feature not a bug, as they - as good terrorists - want to build popular opposition to Israel. If it works, they will write their history and be the heroes of Palestinian nationalism. But it is not going to work and it just keeps the Palestinians from having a higher quality of life. It does, however, give moral narcissists of the west more fodder to criticize Israel. People who really care about Palestinians would not keep cheering those who escalate the conflict that does no good for the Palestinian people at all.