Israeli military taking accountability

I originally wrote this post a week ago — but decided to wait for the Israeli military investigation.

For those that aren’t aware, the IDF recently admitted to have mistakenly identified a convoy of aid workers as a threat. Video subsequently emerged proving that the ambulance was clearly marked when the Israeli forces opened fire on 15 humanitarian workers.

Below is the IDF statement (from Sky News):

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The key overarching point here that is that Israel has behaved in a way that her enemies can never:

1. The IDF have acknowledged that the killings were an error. 
2. They released an initial flawed statement, then corrected the record - publicly. 
3. They launched an internal investigation. 
4. They reprimanded and dismissed a respected and high ranking commanding officer for (1) breaches of orders, and (2) a failure to fully report the incident.
5. They said they will take measures to prevent a repeat of this in the future.
6. They didn’t censor the press or detain whistleblowers.
7. They didn’t parade bodies, or burn footage, or pretend it never occurred - like Russia.

That’s accountability.

It is impossible to execute a war without mistakes being made. Soldiers mistakenly shooting at targets is something that happens all the time in war. It’s very unfortunate, but it does happen - especially in conditions of poor visibility. 

And who doesn’t adjust, or admit, or even care?    Hamas.

Hamas have still not admitted that they’ve executed their own protesters. Or used ambulances to convey terrorists. Or launched rockets from hospitals etc.

The killing of non-combatants by soldiers within the IDF does not represent Israeli policy - unlike Hamas.