Soccer Dad

Distorted image

Israeli "human rights" organization, B'tzelem issued its report for 2006.

The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces in 2007 has fallen by almost two-thirds compared to the figure for 2006, the human rights group B'Tselem reported Sunday.

According to the figures published in the organization's annual report, 131 Palestinian civilians were killed this year - 36 in the West Bank and 95 in the Gaza Strip. Last year, Palestinian civilian fatalities numbered 283 in the Gaza Strip and 65 in the West Bank, for a total of 348.

The drop mirrored a decline in overall hostilities this year compared to last. One hundred eighty-eight illegal Palestinian combatants were killed in 2007, compared with 292 the previous year.

The figures also paralleled a drop in the number of Israeli civilian fatalities in 2007. Seven Israeli civilians were killed in 2007, compared with 17 in 2006. Four soldiers died this year, compared to six last year.

But still

"The figures, nevertheless, still give cause for concern," wrote B'Tselem, which blamed the civilian deaths primarily on Israeli policy allegedly determined by the army's top echelon. The policies include allegedly illegal easing of the military's rules of engagement, faulty transmission of these rules to soldiers in the field, approval of operations that cause disproportionate harm to civilians and failure to independently investigate most cases in which Palestinian civilians are killed.

Forgetting for a moment that according to the Geneva conventions positioning oneself near civilians does not render a combatant immune from attack, is Btselem certain that all of the innocents were necessarily innocent. Do they use the same criteria as the IDF?

Of course B'Tselem doesn't count the number of Palestinians killed by other Palestinians, which has passed 600 for the year.

And as Elder of Ziyon has been noticing recently, the IAF really has been avoiding civilian casualties in its recent attacks on illegal combatants. Or as Meryl has summarized, 97% of the attacks on illegal combatants in 2007 have resulted in no civilian casualties.

Of course, for Israel's critics, B'Tselem included, Israel must maintain an impossible standard in fighting its enemies or be judged in the wrong.

Crossposted on Yourish.

israel, b'tselem