Philosophers stone

Jerusalem (CNN) — An Israeli soldier faces a manslaughter charge in the death of a Palestinian waving a white flag during a three-week incursion into Gaza, the Israeli military said Tuesday.

The criminal indictment is one of a few disciplinary actions being taken by the Israeli Defense Forces for conduct in the Gaza incursion, including the use of a Palestinian man as a “human shield,” the military said in a news release.

In that incident, a battalion commander authorized sending a Palestinian man into a house sheltering terrorists in order to persuade them to leave the house, the IDF news release said. The commander was indicted “because he deviated from authorized and appropriate IDF behavior” and ignored rules on the use of civilians in military operations, it said.

Israeli investigators looked into more than 150 incidents during Operation Cast Lead undertaken by Israel in late 2008 in response to an escalation of Palestinian rocket attacks, and conducted 50 probes, the IDF said.

Tuesday’s news release also said a criminal investigation has been ordered into an incident in which a residence with about 100 people inside was struck from the air, and an officer had been disciplined for failing to exercise appropriate judgment in ordering an attack close to a mosque.

But the Palestinians say Israel’s actions are unsatisfactory.

“I think Israel should take all responsibility for all the war crimes that it is responsible for during its unjustified war in Gaza, and what they just announced is too little too late,” Palestinian spokesman Ghassan Khatib told CNN.

[more...]