Amnesty International's =Amnesty Arabstwo

[fredzio54]

Response to Amnesty International's Report "Killing the Future:
Children in the Line of Fire"
For the past 2 years, the IDF has been engaged in difficult and intensive
fighting against Palestinian terrorist factions. During this period of
fighting, which was imposed upon the State of Israel and the IDF, 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 described
at length in the report. Amnesty International has labeled the Palestinian
suicide attacks as crimes against humanity.

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, some civilians, including children, 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 Palestinian terrorists are solely and unequivocally responsible for the
injuries caused to Palestinian children. Since the beginning of the conflict
two years ago, the Palestinian terrorist factions have cynically exploited
children in terrorist activity, in violation of international law. Children
are groomed and dispatched to carry out suicide attacks in the centers of the
Israeli civilian population; positioned at the front lines of demonstrations
to hide snipers behind them; and used to plant explosives and deliver
weapons. Moreover, the terrorist factions have transformed Palestinian
civilian population centers into terrorist activity headquarters.

One must keep in mind that the Palestinian society and several international
organizations have denounced the abuse of children by Palestinian terrorist
factions. For one, the UN Secretary General condemned the phenomenon in his
report of operation "Defensive Shield". Unfortunately, the UN report does not
mention this particularly low Palestinian practice. Whoever uses children to
perpetrate terror attacks, anyone who uses houses were children reside to
coordinate and perpetrate attacks is responsible for injuring these children.

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 designated to cause the death of
Israeli civilians, including children: this is ruthless, unprecedented,
inhuman terror. On the other hand, IDF activity is conducted in accordance
with the laws of war and is not aimed at injuring civilians. Injuries are
occasionally sustained only because the Palestinian terrorists act from
within centers of Palestinian civilian population. Hence, any comparison
between the two is groundless, and indicates a fundamental lack of balance
among authors of the report.

The authors falsely claim the IDF does not investigate incidents in which
Palestinian children are injured, and grants impunity to soldiers involved.
The truth is, however, that IDF commanders separately investigate each
incident in which Palestinian civilians are injured. When suspicion of
criminal misbehavior of the soldiers' side arises, the Military Police
launches an inquiry. Since September 2000, the beginning of "Ebb and Flow",
over 220 inquiries of the Military Police were launched, some of which
regarding incidents in which Palestinian minors were injured.

For example, the Military Police launched inquiries over the deaths of
Palestinian children near Khan Yunis on 22 November 2001, the youth Yasser
Kassabi from Kalandia on 8 December 2001, the death of Muhamad Hassan
Altalalaka near Beith Hanoun on 1 March 2002, the death of children in Jenin
on 21 June 2002 and over other incidents. The claims that incidents are not
investigated and soldiers enjoy impunity are falsified. The IDF owes its
professionalism and power partly due to its willingness to engage in
investigations and inquiries even in the midst of intense fighting.

The IDF is dedicated to upholding the "purity of arms" and preserving human
dignity, and regrets any injuries children sustain. However, the cynical use
Palestinian terrorist factions make of Palestinian children constitutes the
main cause of their injuries. The IDF applauds the report's implicit
condemnation of the Palestinian terror attacks against Israeli civilian
population.