Israeli Human Rights Group Slanders IDF Operation in Gaza

Breaking The Silence, an Israeli human rights group, has accused Israeli Defense Forces of shooting first and asking questions later as well as using Palestinians as human shields during its operation in Gaza last December and January in a new report.

The report is based on the testimony of 26 Israeli soldiers. The problem is that the testimony in anonymous and these claims cannot be verified. The IDF has described the report as "slanderous."

According to Breaking The Silence, one Israeli soldier said "there was not much said about the issue of innocent civilians." This rings false to me. It is inconsistent with Israel's ethos and practices.

But sadly a report like this gains traction especially when its Israelis leveling the charge at other Israelis. It feeds into an appetite by some people who want Israel to be at fault for human rights violations regardless of the facts on the ground. Just as people wanted to believe the IDF "massacred" 500 civilians in the Jenin Refugee Camp in 2002.

It makes one wonder why Palestinians want to kill Jews when Jews are often their best advocates. Yet its hard to find reason in places it doesn't exist.