President Reuven Rivlin was among Israel’s leaders responding to the United Nations Human Rights Commission report stating both Hamas and Israel may have committed war crimes during Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014.
Following is the president’s statement:
“Just one year has passed since the Israel Defense Forces were required to stand, as a protective edge, for the people of Israel. We lost many of our loved ones, and we still await the return of two of our late sons, and we still hope for the recovery of the wounded. Also last summer, the IDF proved its strength, ability, and above all, its uniqueness, and the ethical and moral place which it holds.
“I am proud, as all of Israel should be proud, of the moral strength, and the military abilities of the Israel Defense Forces. I do not see how anybody could judge us and tarnish our name. The moral dilemmas which we face require split-second decisions, when we have a duty and a right to defend the citizens of Israel – women, children, babies – under attack, and when our enemy tramples international law and uses its people as human shields.
“As strong as we are, and as sophisticated as our capabilities are, it is incumbent upon us to ask: When do we use force, how do we use it and for what purpose. I have no doubt that the soldiers and officers of the IDF know to ask this question in a timely manner, and to make difficult decisions in real time, without the need for investigations by external bodies. Only one who understands what force is, understands it limits.”
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
Not wordy enough!
His reply ought have verbiage which rejects the falsehood of the report and to call upon all people of the world who are in their right mind to protest and reject the findings of this commission whose sole purpose was set in motion from the start, and may I add, whose leader had to resign because he was caught with his mind made up after his pockets were allegedly lined by Palestinian money. So the findings were etched in stone from the onset – akin to the מרגלים.
Rivlin and all others have to knock that message into the worlds’ head!
Tell the world of its falsehood!
Expose them!
The UN said the Israelis were negligent in killing civilians, and the Palestinians were acting with malice (in American legalese, that would translate to accusing the Israelis of manslaughter and the Palestinians of murder). Given the charges against the Palestinians, I doubt they’ll be anxious to have an international criminal court investigation (regardless of their propaganda), since the UN accused the Palestinians of a more serious crime than they charged the Israelis.
A good argument can be made that ALL MODERN WARFARE would constitute a “crime” since it is almost impossible to use modern weapons with “negligently” killing civilians and this has been the case for centuries (note that when gunpowder was introduced, many believed it would render war so horrible that everyone would have to give it up – wishful thinking but a nice idea).