IDF Chief Of Staff Refutes Claims Of Israeli Atrocities

Yesterday morning, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) chief of the general staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, delivered a speech while visiting new IDF recruits where he affirmed his belief the soldiers under his command were part of a “moral and ideological army.”

“My impression of the operation is that the IDF acts morally in the highest way possible,” Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi said.

The chief of the general staff referred to the latest reports concerning the ethics of the IDF’s soldiers and said alleged individual indiscretions have been placed under investigation by the Criminal Investigation Division of the IDF Military Police.

“I don’t believe that soldiers serving in the IDF hurt civilians in cold blood, but we shall wait for the results of the investigation. The IDF is the most humane army in the world and operates according to the Spirit of the IDF and high moral standards of fighting. Isolated cases, if found to have taken place, will be dealt with individually,” Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi said. “As the chief of the general staff, I feel very proud to stand at the head of an army with such commanders and soldiers. Immediately after the operation, and as part of an existing tradition in the IDF, we carried out a thorough, professional process of drawing conclusions and lessons learned. This is important in order for us to operate correctly in the future.”

Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi went on to say Hamas, not the IDF, chose to center the fighting in heavily populated areas where civilians would find themselves in the crossfire during the Gaza operation.

“[They] chose, and not by chance, to fight in heavily populated areas, turned neighborhoods into war zones, schools to terror outposts and public facilities into weapon and munitions storage facilities,” he said. “The IDF’s operation was carried out inside populated areas and its mission was to fight those who fire at Israel, which is why we operated in the structured areas.”

He said Israel did everything it could to try to minimize civilian casualties by scattering Arabic-language leaflets throughout the Gaza Strip, used the Arabic-language press to warn them to stay clear of fighting areas and used warning shots in an effort to keep civilians away.

Addressing the issue of the release of the Israeli prisoner of war, Cpl. Gilad Shalit, Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi said: “Unfortunately, Gilad has not returned to us yet. I see it as my obligation as his commander and as the obligation of every commander in this army to continue to operate for his return. Even at this hour, the efforts to bring him back continue in every way possible and it is not right to elaborate on the matter. Our mission is not complete until Gilad returns.”

David Bedein can be reached at dbedein@israelbehindthenews.com