Israeli military review finds soldiers using 'disproportionate force'

A military enquiry into the use of deadly force in recent cases against Palestinians has found that Israeli forces could have done much more to save Palestinian lives.

MENA

1 min read

The New Arab

26 October, 2016

This is not the first time Israeli forces were accused of using excessive force [Anadolu]

A recent review of Israeli military responses to "armed conflict" found that unnecessary force was being used and more could be done to save Palestinian lives.

One example cited by the internal military enquiry was the killing of 15-year-old Palestinian Khaled Bahar, who was shot by soldiers on October 20 after he threw stones at soldiers.

"According to the enquiry there was no danger to life (to the commander). He should not have fired at the central body mass in order to kill," the report said.

The review also referenced a knife attack by a Palestinian woman on October 19, when soldiers first followed protocol properly, before abandoning and shooting the woman thirty times.

According to AFP, the review is considered standard military procedure, in order to work out ways of improving protocol.

"It was an operational review to inspect and improve our performance on the ground," said Arye Shalicar, a spokesperson for the Israeli forces.

Israeli soldiers have been accused of using excessive and deadly force on a number of occasions since the latest Palestinian uprising broke out in October 2015. A total of 276 people have died since then, including 235 Palestinians.