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Israeli soldiers to be trained in minimizing civilian casualties

22 October 2010 03:54 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) is set to launch a first-ever training course in ways to reduce the number of civilian casualties in combat zones, local daily The Jerusalem Post reported Thursday, APA reports quoting news.xinhuanet.com website.

In early December, select officers in the IDF’s reserves will begin professional training towards becoming "population coordination officers" designated to assist the army in minimizing harm to civilians during future operations in urban settings in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Syria, said the report.

After graduation, the officers are slated to be incorporated into combat battalions and brigades, where they will personally brief commanders on the implications of a planned operation. In the bombing of targets, for instance, course graduates will advise field commanders of the potential impact that destroying civilian infrastructure may have on civilians who stay in their homes.

The new post, initiated by the office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), is established following the harsh criticism of Israel by the international community and human rights groups regarding civilian casualties in IDF operations.

About 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians, were killed during Operation Cast Lead in early 2009, in which IDF forces battled Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. The high number of casualties raised an international outcry and led to an inquiry which resulted in the Goldstone Report. Israel was also slammed for wreaking havoc on Lebanon’s civilian infrastructure when assaulting Hezbollah in July 2006.

The hope within the IDF, said the report, is that the course will minimize the criticism following future operations and wars.

While the IDF is contemplating ways to evade civilian casualties, a leading rabbi in the West Bank had recently encouraged IDF soldiers to use Palestinians as human shields during operations.

Rabbi Yitzhak Shapira, who resides in a West Bank settlement, distributed leaflets among his students, who are serving members of the IDF, saying the holy scriptures legitimize taking any action meant to protect their lives in battle, local media reported Thursday.

"According to true Jewish values, your lives come before those of the enemy, whether he is a soldier or a civilian under protection. Therefore, you are forbidden from endangering your own life for the sake of the enemy, not even for a civilian," read the leaflet.

The rabbi’s leaflet came after a military court convicted two IDF soldiers of using the illegal "neighbor procedure" in the 2009 Gaza offensive, in which they ordered a Palestinian boy to sift through bags suspected of containing explosive devices.