An Israeli military tactic that allows overwhelming fire to stop the capture of soldiers — even at the risk of killing them — is facing criticism after its use in the Gaza war killed some 100 Palestinians.
The military used the “Hannibal Procedure” after soldiers feared terrorists had captured an officer, unleashing heavy shelling on the southern Gaza town of Rafah. Now, a group is calling on the military to abandon the practice, saying it puts captured soldiers at unreasonable risk and can lead to civilian deaths.
In an army with a strong ethos of “no soldier left behind,” there is a near obsession with preventing the abduction of Israeli troops, in part because past cases have ended in painful, lopsided prisoner exchanges after years of protracted negotiations. New recruits learn that if they see a soldier being captured and rushed away in a car, they should shoot at the vehicle to stop its progress, even if it risks the soldier’s life.
The “Hannibal Procedure” was designed in the mid-1980s by Yossi Peled, then head of Israel’s Northern Command, after Hezbollah terrorists captured two soldiers in southern Lebanon.
The actual order was drafted along with two of his top staff officers, Col. Gabi Ashkenazi, who later became the Israeli military chief, and Col. Yaakov Amidror, who recently ended a term as Israel’s national security adviser. Hannibal was a legendary military commander who battled the ancient Romans, though officials say the name was selected randomly by a computer.
Peled declined to comment, but Amidror stood behind a rationale he said was often misinterpreted. He said it gives young soldiers on the ground clear guidelines for such a situation.
“The order is that you cannot kill the soldier, but you can endanger him. A soldier in that situation knows he is in danger anyway,” he said. “How is it any different than giving a soldier an order to charge forward into live fire? You are also putting his life in danger that way. That’s what soldiers do.”
However, its application in the Gaza war has angered critics who say it may have led to the deaths of scores of Palestinians on Aug. 1, when Israeli soldiers feared terrorists had captured Lt. Hadar Goldin.
Hamas fire killed Goldin and two other Israeli soldiers near Rafah, along Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, shortly after an internationally brokered cease-fire took effect.
According to Israeli media reports, three bodies were found at the scene shortly after the ambush, but upon closer inspection troops realized that one of them was a Hamas terrorist disguised in an Israeli uniform — raising fears that Hamas had captured Goldin.
That’s when “Hannibal” allegedly went into effect, with Israel unleashing a massive barrage of airstrikes and artillery fire aimed at blocking any potential escape routes of the kidnappers. Defying protocol, a fellow officer rushed into one of the tunnels and found some personal effects belonging to Goldin that helped the military later rule him dead.
The military would not officially confirm whether “Hannibal” was enacted after Goldin’s disappearance, but multiple officials say the rare order was given. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to journalists.
The heavy shelling leveled the area in Rafah, killing some 100 Palestinians, Palestinian health officials say. They could not offer a breakdown of the number of civilians and terrorists killed.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, a prominent rights group, asked the government this week to strike down the doctrine and investigate its use.
“A protocol that puts the life of the captured soldier in jeopardy to thwart a kidnapping is fundamentally unacceptable,” ACRI wrote to Israel’s attorney general on Monday. “Implementing this protocol in populated areas, wherein the soldier and his captors are surrounded by a civilian population that is not taking part in hostilities, is strictly prohibited.”
Israel’s Justice Ministry declined to comment, merely saying it received the letter.
The fear of being captured runs deep in Israeli society, where military service is mandatory for most Jewish males. Islamic terror groups have put a premium on capturing soldiers. When they have succeeded, they have not extended international prisoner of war rights, preventing visits from the Red Cross and keeping word of their captives’ status secret.
Asa Kasher, a philosophy professor who authored the military’s official code of conduct in the 1990s, said the “Hannibal Procedure” has been grossly misunderstood and strikes a delicate balance between protecting the lives of soldiers and carrying out military responsibilities. Much of the directive remains classified, but Kasher stressed the conventional wisdom of a “dead soldier being better than a captive soldier” was a fallacy.
“That is just an awful saying and totally untrue. It goes against every value of the” Israeli military, he said.
However, Tamar Feldman, an ACRI lawyer, said the practice violates the potential captive’s human rights. When employed in a crowded area like Gaza, it raised even more questions.
“A command that subjugates the life of a soldier to an unknown political gain … is both cynical and revolting,” she wrote. “Activating this protocol in the heart of an urban and civilian environment is particularly grave; it shakes the foundations of law and morality and must be absolutely condemned.”
(AP)
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10 Responses
Well if Israel is such a “democracy” and not a country that is run by the Supreme “Court” and a bunch of “human rights” lawyers (sponsored by New Israel Fund” no doubt) why don’t they put the use of this procedure to a vote among the soldiers and the families of the soldiers.
I’m aware that is not how a democracy works but, in this case, when one is dealing with enemies that use multiple violations of any code of human decency(stealing dead soldiers, using enemy uniforms, using civilians as suicide bombers to confront the soldiers, and a standard policy of using civilian human shields), one would think that the military would dictate the code of conduct,and not some philosophy professor who authored that
“Purity of Arms”, military code of conduct, which favors the lives of enemy civilians over our precious soldiers.
We are in a sad state of affairs with all these “Justice” Dept.’s interference in the warfare and virtually every aspect of life, including stealing the authority from rabbis about religious affairs. It will not end unless we do something about it… A little “old boy’s club” running the whole country …disgusting…some “democracy.”
Israel is and always will be Criticized for every step they do. Why only israel??
The article left something out: the mission of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) includes fighting for the civil liberties and equality of Arab citizens; the gay and lesbian community; and “human rights” in the Occupied Territories.
So what’s the chidush?
Stupid Israeli leftists are bored once again. Let them be in the front lines going into Gaza next time. Then again, they’d probably HAND one of their own over to the “impoverished” Hamas animals.
There are two separate concerns expressed here. On the concern about killing large numbers of noncombatants to save a soldier, the operative assumption of “human rights” activists such as ACRI is that this is strictly forbidden. A Torah perspective would take the opposite approach and value one of our own over any number of enemy lives, regardless if they are “combatants” or not.
The other concern, however, of putting the captured soldier himself at risk, is a more delicate question. Certainly no commander wants to endanger his troops, especially for political considerations. But the question of whether shooting in the direction of the captive and his captors is more likely to save or to endanger his live and those of others depends on many factors, and is best decided by the commanders on the scene, in accordance with established guidelines.
That’s where the Code of Conduct can provide valuable guidance, so commanders aren’t making rushed judgments on the fly. And while I am not privy to the details in the Israeli military Code of Conduct, I trust Professor Kasher’s statement that it strives to find the right balance. Whether it does is debatable, but one thing is certain: it will never satisfy everybody.
@ #5,
The Code of Conduct was “refined” in the 1990’s, does that tell you anything about it’s makeup?
True, a military needs rules of conduct for the many situations that arise and that need swift unhesitating action and the soldiers/commanders on the field are the best judge of the circumstances.
However, this code, called “Purity of Arms” is a much too rigorous standard when one considers the lack of basic humanity on the part of Israel’s enemies.
It is a big concession to the those “human rights activists” and the leftist courts. If it has Prof. Alan Dershowitz kvelling, we can be sure that it is an impossibly(and G-d forbid, fatally) high standard.
regarding: how crowded is Gaza?
It is within one percent of the size of Philadelphia (140 sq miles)
its population is 1,800,000 vs. 1,500,000 (Phila)
my solution is use Hannibal in the area of the kidnapping and give some other neighborhood 1 hour to get out. After one hour destroy the neighborhood. What would they do to us?
Adolph “Berliner” used to ask, “Who remembers the Armenians?” What do you think the ISIS guys are now saying about the Yazidis?
The Israeli government and military are plain old fashioned murderers. They will stoop to murdering their own soldiers in order to prevent them from being captured.
Does anyone know (or care) what Da’at Torah says about this? Could YWN please check with gedolei hador and let us know?
#8- Can you provide some solid evidence to prove your vile charge? “Murdering their own soldiers”?? You are really sick.