Professionalism?
Here’s an excerpt from a transcript of millitary communications among Isreali soldiers near the Gaza Strip. The company commander in question is on trial for the shooting of a ten year old girl who (one would assume) wandered somewhere she wasn’t meant to be. He faces up to 3 years in jail if found guilty, but oblige me while I play Devil’s Advocate here: What was the guy supposed to do anyway? I’ll admit first off that my background knowledge of this case doesn’t stretch any further than what the blurb in the article offers, but I gather that he’s overseeing some sort of OP/LP setup, and simply did his job. I am not familiar with Isreali military doctrine, and it is clear that the article contains only an excerpt of the original text, though the only thing I can think him guilty of is giving the girl no warning. If a 10-year-old poses no threat, where is he supposed to draw the line? Puberty? Legal adulthood?
SENTRY: We spotted an Arab female about 100 meters below our emplacement, near the light armored vehicle gate.
HEADQUARTERS: Observation post “Spain,” do you see it?
OBSERVATION POST: Affirmative, it’s a young girl. She’s now running east.
HQ: What is her position?
OP: She’s currently north of the authorized zone.
…
HQ: Are you talking about a girl under ten?
OP: Approximately a ten-year-old girl.
…
cc [to HQ]: We fired and killed her. She has . . . wearing pants . . . jeans and a vest, shirt. Also she had a kaffiyeh on her head. I also confirmed the kill. Over.
HQ: Roger.
Gary @ 25 Jan 2006 :: General, All the news that's fit to print, Sad :: No Comments »