REPORTING FROM ISRAEL
WARNING: This is a high volume ping list
Posted on 11/21/2004 7:30:56 AM PST by Alouette
The High Court of Justice on Thursday gave Deputy Chief of General Staff Maj.-Gen. Dan Halutz 15 days to explain his moral and ethical position regarding an air force operation to kill Hamas terrorist Salah Shehadeh in which 14 civilians were killed, including seven children.
The decision was handed down in a petition by the left-wing Yesh Gvul movement and a group of intellectuals, artists, and politicians demanding that Halutz, who served as commander of the air force at the time of the operation, not be appointed deputy chief of General Staff. Halutz has been appointed to the position in the meantime, but the petitioners still want his appointment revoked.
Those who signed the petition include poet Natan Zach, authors Sami Michael, Amos Keinan, and Yitzhak Laor, former Meretz leader Shulamit Aloni, former attorney-general Michael Ben-Yair, and several reserve IAF pilots.
The petitioners charged that Halutz was not fit to serve as deputy army commander because he had been responsible for the July 2002 operation in which a one-ton bomb had been dropped on Shehadeh's apartment building in the middle of Gaza. In addition to the 14 civilians killed along with Shehadeh, an estimated 150 people were wounded in the blast.
The petitioners also referred to an article printed in the weekend magazine of Haaretz soon after the bombing episode, in which Halutz declared that he was not disturbed by the large number of innocent victims of the operation.
"Sleep well, my friends," he was quoted as telling his pilots and navigators. "By the way, I sleep very well at night... Your implementation of the operation was perfect, wonderful."
According to Haaretz, he branded as traitors those who threatened to complain about the action to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
"Are these the people whom the IDF is fighting for?" he said. "All those bleeding hearts who dare to use Mafia-like extortion against our fighters... Anyone can express an opinion, but they cannot commit treason."
Asked how he feels when he releases a bomb from his plane, Halutz replied, "I feel a slight blow to the plane as a result of the release of the bomb. After a second, it passes. And that's it. That's what I feel."
Supreme Court Justice Edmond Levy appeared to be shocked by Halutz's statements. "If it is true that he said these things," he shrugged, lifted up his hands in apparent dismay, and left the sentence unfinished.
He ordered Halutz to explain what he meant and to present his moral and ethical point of view regarding the affair. After receiving Halutz's stand, the court will hand down its ruling on whether he is worthy of the second-highest position in the IDF.
These folks are the Israeli equivalent of Michael Moore, Helen Thomas, Barbra Streisand, and the usual gang of idiots.
REPORTING FROM ISRAEL
WARNING: This is a high volume ping list
Sh** happens?
Too bad some Paleostinian innocents were killed. It makes up in a small way for the the Israeli civilians targeted and killed by by the Paleostinian (suicide) bombers and terrorists
They are lepers..
Jeeze, what a load! I seem to recall that there was a discussion of tactics after this operation and the IDF resolved to use smaller bombs when appropriate. So why are they still discussing this? These literary types should leave the warmaking to the warriors and concentrate their own efforts on making sure their poems rhyme.
This is the only woman on the planet who could beat Helen Thomas in an Ugly Pageant.
Is that an oxymoron?
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