In the wake of fatal attacks by Arab gunmen on Jewish settlers, the Israel Defense Force has eased the rules governing when and how soldiers may use fire-arms against Arab suspects in the administered territories.
Although the IDF offered no details, security sources confirmed this week that the troops have been given much wider leeway.
Until now, the rules permitted soldiers to open fire only if their lives were threatened, if suspects did not respond to orders to halt, or in encounters with masked individuals.
The IDF chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Ehud Barak, reportedly eased those restrictions on the recommendations of Maj. Gen. Danny Yatom, commander of the central sector, which includes the West Bank.
It was unacceptable, military sources were quoted as saying, that soldiers could not respond instantly to shots fired at them, because they had to first decide if the rules allowed them to.
Coincidentally, the modified regulations were publicized here on the same day as the U.S. State Department’s annual country-by-country report on the status of human rights.
It noted “a substantial drop” in the number of Palestinians killed in the territories last year.
B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, published a report this week accusing the army of discrimination in the kind of protest activities it allows in the administered territories.
According to the report, the army tends to ban expressions of political dissent by Palestinians and Israelis objecting to settlements, but allows demonstrations by settlers, who often bash the IDF for allegedly lax security measures.
Theoretically, every Palestinian is entitled to request a permit to hold a parade or rally. But until recently, Palestinians did not bother, knowing the permits were unlikely to be granted.
That policy changed slightly after the Middle East peace conference in Madrid last October. The army allowed peace demonstrations and “olive branch” parades. But even then, its policy was arbitrary. Some peace rallies were banned and some of their participants arrested.
The army reacted to the B’Tselem report by explaining that military commanders who issue permits for political demonstrations take into account “the law, the security and public order.”
These are the only considerations, a military spokesman said, and there is no discrimination against any organization or political body.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
