-Caveat Lector- From: International Justice Watch Discussion List [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Will Lim Sent: Monday, August 26, 2002 3:39 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Looting by Israeli soldiers confirmed
An Israeli military prosecutor stated that 7 soldiers have been convicted for looting Palestinian homes during recent army raids into the West Bank. Some members of the Israeli parliament are calling for a more detailed investigation. -WL http://my.netscape.com/corewidgets/news/story.psp?cat=50600&id=200208252006000254416 Sunday, Aug. 25, 2002 Israeli Army Under Fire for Looting JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The Israeli army came under fire Sunday after Israel Radio broadcast an investigative report which found that the looting of Palestinian property by Israeli troops was more widespread than previously thought. Lt. Col. Ilan Katz, the deputy chief military prosecutor, told Israel Radio after its report was broadcast that seven soldiers had been convicted for looting offences and five others had been indicted and were awaiting trial. The army spokesman's office said its military police were investigating 35 reports of looting by Israeli troops. "Danny," a recently discharged soldier interviewed under an assumed name, told Israel Radio that troops stole from Palestinian homes during the six-week-long sweep for militants launched after suicide bombings killed scores of Israelis. "During each search, the head of the family was meant to accompany the soldiers to every room. What we would do is take the man to one room as the soldiers searched other rooms, and they would pocket things while out of his sight," he said. "When it came to commanding officers, some knew about it and some were involved. When it came to squad leaders, all of them knew and were involved," Danny said. The radio report was an embarrassment for the army whose creed requires stringent ethical behavior. The report prompted calls by some politicians for a parliamentary inquiry and officials, including the country's chief rabbi, told media outlets who picked up the story the army must put a stop to looting by troops. LIEUTENANT CHARGED Katz said army regulations required officers to report all incidents of looting to the military police and that a lieutenant had been charged for failure to report looting by soldiers under his command. "I can tell you with a clear conscience that in my view the phenomenon is a marginal phenomenon relative to the huge numbers of soldiers who took part" in the large-scale military operations in the West Bank over the past few months, Katz said. Military sources said most of these cases were from the offensive, known as "Operation Defensive Shield," launched in late March after a deadly wave of Palestinian suicide bombings. Israel Radio said Danny was among several soldiers to come forward. Another man who was not named told the radio he saw troops ransack a shopping mall in Ramallah and make off with electronic appliances, water pipes and other "souvenirs." The Israeli army said in a statement: "The army views such incidents with great severity and instructs its soldiers on the importance of human dignity and respecting property." Katz said most of the seven were sentenced to jail terms. He gave an example of one soldier who was sentenced to five months prison, five months suspended sentence and was demoted from sergeant to private. Looting carries a maximum 10-year sentence. Katz added that soldiers convicted of looting would have a criminal record for life. COMPLAINTS Danny said he had complained about the looting to his superiors in June, when he was still a soldier. "They said they could not get involved until the military police arrested the soldiers. And when a soldier was caught, he was thrown out of the regiment -- not for looting, but for getting caught." He mentioned one occasion on which the company commander demanded the men hand over what they had stolen. "The soldiers gave up the small stuff, but kept a large quantity of handguns, jewelry and cash," Danny said. An Israeli lawmaker said he would call for a special session of the parliamentary foreign affairs and defense committee. "We first discussed the matter after Defensive Shield, but were assured by the army it was under control. Now it seems the phenomenon is far broader and warrants closer attention," Avshalom Vilan of the liberal Meretz party told Reuters. Palestinian authorities were similarly concerned. "Each day there are complaints on looting carried out by Israeli soldiers. We bring up these issues in our meetings with the Israelis," said Ribhi Arafat, Palestinian chief of military liaison with Israel in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! 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