Israel’s highest-ranking army officer has told the official commission investigating the Hebron massacre that there were never any standing orders that soldiers should never shoot at Jewish settlers.
Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Ehud Barak, testifying before the commission on Wednesday, said that the army’s open-fire instructions did not preclude firing at an Israeli.
“A massacre is a massacre is a massacre. You do not need special orders to know what to do,” he said.
His statement contradicted testimony previously given to the commission by officers and soldiers alike, who indicated it was their understanding they were never to fire on Israelis, particularly militant, gun-wielding settlers.
Addressing the earlier testimony, Barak acknowledged to the panel that it was obvious that the army’s open-fire orders had been misunderstood.
But he made it clear that his soldiers were allowed to shoot at an Israeli who was endangering anyone’s life.
“In no case is there, nor can there be, an army order which says it is forbidden to shoot at a settler even if he is shooting at others or at you. The opposite is true,” said Barak.
He also told the panel that had the army’s security precautions been followed to the letter, it was highly likely that the massacre might have been prevented, or at least minimized.
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