Israel Defends Conduct of Gaza War

Cases of excessive force were rare, army says
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 27, 2009 2:11 PM CDT
Israel Defends Conduct of Gaza War
Two Palestinian women inspect piles of trash left behind by Israeli soldiers in a home commandeered by Israeli soldiers during the recent Gaza offensive, in Gaza City, Monday, March 23, 2009.   (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

The Israeli army is defending its actions during the recent Gaza conflict, claiming that, contrary to reports, its soldiers did not act with excessive force or with disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians, the New York Times reports. Officials have moved to discount one story in particular: an account that says a sniper killed a woman and her two children after they entered a restricted area.

Though a conversation discussing the incident was caught on tape, the army says those soldiers did not witness the event, and that only warning shots were fired near the family. Awful events certainly occurred during the conflict, but “the proportion and effort and directions we gave to our soldiers were entirely in the opposite direction,” a reserve colonel said.
(More Israel stories.)

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