Israeli soldiers in Gaza describe a 'moral Twilight Zone'McClatchy: Israeli combat soldiers have acknowledged that they forced Palestinian civilians to serve as human shields, needlessly killed unarmed Gazans and improperly used white phosphorus shells to burn down buildings as part of Israel's three-week military offensive in the Gaza Strip last winter.
In filmed testimony and written statements released Wednesday, more than two dozen soldiers told an Israeli army veterans' group that military commanders led the fighters into what one described as a 'moral Twilight Zone.'...
"Phosphorus was used as an igniter, simply make it all go up in flames," one soldier said. A second soldier told Breaking the Silence that at least one officer fired unauthorized white phosphorus mortars because it was "cool."...
One soldier said they were repeatedly told by officers to raze buildings as part of a campaign to prepare for "the day after." "In practical terms, this meant taking a house that is not implicated in any way, that its single sin is the fact that it is situated on top of a hill... In a personal talk with my battalion commander he mentioned this and said in a sort of half-smile, I think, that this is something that will eventually be added to 'my war crimes."...
Israeli combatants said they forced Palestinians to search homes for militants and enter buildings ahead of soldiers... "Sometimes a force would enter while placing rifle barrels on a civilian's shoulder"... Each Palestinian forced to work with the Israeli military was given the same nickname: Johnnie...
One of the Israeli soldiers interviewed described the offensive as necessary. "We did what we had to do. The actual doing was a bit thoughtless. We were allowed to do anything we wanted. Who's to tell us not to?"
One Israeli reservist said a brigade commander gave them stark orders as they were preparing for combat. "He said something along the line of 'Don't let morality become an issue; that will come later."... "You felt like a child playing around with a magnifying glass, burning up ants," another soldier said. "A 20-year-old kid should not be doing such things to people... the guys were running a 'Wild West' scene: draw, cock, kill."
