Friday 5 April 2024

Are the two sacked Israeli officers scapegoats for horror drone strike?

In a very short time, Israeli military chiefs have pinpointed five people for punishment for the drone missile strikes on three vehicles in Gaza which killed seven humanitarian aid workers. None of them are very senior. Two are described as officers, one a reserve colonel and the other, a major. They have been booted from their jobs. The three othere sre called commanders, whatever that means. They have been reprimanded. For a drone missile unit hunting for targets in Gaza, there are very strict rules of engagement which are agreed and checked and authorised by officers further up the chain of command, officers of three star and four star rankings. Will any of them get punished? And what about the legal boys? For every agreed target list, military lawyers have to pore over the evidence and advise whether the targets are legitimate. So it begs the question: once the three vehicles carrying the seven aid workers had come up on their computer screens, surely someone would have pointed out that they were vehicles linked to the charity, World Central Kitchen, that they had just dropped off food at a designated warehouse and were on their way back to base, as authorised and directed by the Israeli military? If so where was the lawyer's voice, saying, "hang on a moment, these are the usual people from World Central Kitchen, call off the drones". Presumably no one did. Responsibility for such an outrageous lapse in procedure should go all the way to the top.

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