Thread by @HediViterbo

Does Israel use civilians as human shields?

A thread 🧵

1/20

#Palestine #Gaza #WestBank

"Israeli security forces have repeatedly used #Palestinians … as human shields," says Israeli NGO @btselem.

"As part of this policy, soldiers have ordered … civilians … to stand in front of [them] while the [soldiers] … shoot from behind":



2/20 btselem.org/human_shields

Using people as human shields puts their lives in danger.

For example, in 2002, Israeli troops ordered a Palestinian student to knock on the door of a building where a Hamas fugitive was hiding.

Then, gunfire erupted – and killed the student:



3/20 btselem.org/download/20021…

In this video, a former Israeli soldier describes how he and his comrades forced Palestinian civilians to act as human shields:



4/20

In 2005, the Israeli Supreme Court formally prohibited the use of human shields.

But as we'll now see, soldiers have continued using #Palestinians as human shields, without facing major punishment.

And this practice has even been approved by senior military officers.

5/20

In 2007, for example, Israelis troops were caught on camera using a Palestinian civilian in the #WestBank as a human shield.

Two Palestinian children also reported that they had been ordered to act as human shields:



6/20 theguardian.com/world/2007/mar…

Similarly, in 2018, Israeli forces were filmed handcuffing a Palestinian civilian and using him as a human shield during clashes with local youths:



7/20

This former soldier admits that the Israeli military continued using #Palestinians as human shields - even after this practice had been officially banned by the Supreme Court:



8/20

The same former soldier says that the Israeli military lied when it denied its use of human shields.

And he also describes how his comrades repeatedly forced Palestinian children to act as human shields.



9/20

The U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child similarly accused Israel, in 2014, of the "continuous use of Palestinian children as human shields."

According to the Committee, 14 such cases had been reported between January 2010 and March 2013:



10/20 reuters.com/article/2013/0…

Last year, Israeli forces reportedly forced this Palestinian girl to act as a human shield during an exchange of fire in the #WestBank:



11/20

The Israeli military has also been accused of using at least 5 other Palestinian children as human shields during the first 5 months of 2023:





12/20 dci-palestine.org/israeli_forces…

Israeli forces who use #Palestinians as human shields don't face any serious punishment.

In 2010, two soldiers were convicted of using a 9-year-old Palestinian as a human shield in #Gaza.

But the soldiers were spared a prison sentence:



13/20 files.yesh-din.org/userfiles/file…

Similarly, in 2007, the commander of Israel's forces in the #WestBank was reprimanded for repeatedly approving the use of Palestinian civilians as human shields.

But a few years later, he was promoted to Deputy Chief of the General Staff:



14/20 ynetnews.com/articles/0,734…

In 2020, he was even elected to the Israeli parliament (representing the supposedly leftist Meretz party). The following year, he became a Deputy Minister.

In 2022, he said he was proud of having ordered the use of #Palestinians as human shields:



15/20

There are many other reports of Israel's use of Palestinian civilians as human shields.

Here are some examples:









16/20 btselem.org/human_shields/…
btselem.org/human_shields/…

btselem.org/harrasment/201…

And there are also more testimonies of former soldiers, describing Israel's use of Palestinian civilians as human shields:







17/20

breakingthesilence.org.il/testimonies?as…

Israeli authorities also argue that #Palestinians near military sites are human shields.

But some of Israel's own military bases are placed within civilian areas.

For example, the Tzrifin military base is located just next to the Shamir (formerly Assaf Harofeh) Hospital.

18/20

Similarly, the Israeli military base known as "HaKirya" is located at the heart of Tel Aviv.

Until 1997, there was even a maternity hospital there (also called "HaKirya").

19/20

"Throughout the north of [Israel] …, fixed military facilities … are located next to or in the midst of civilian settlements," says @hrw.

This doesn't make the local population legitimate targets.



20/20 hrw.org/report/2007/08…