SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
B'Tselem's call came as thousands of Palestinians gathered on Friday to protest Israel's brutal, decades-long occupation. (Photo: Sky News)
As Gaza Protests Resume, Urgent Call for Israeli Soldiers to Disobey 'Patently Illegal' Orders to Shoot Unarmed Demonstrators
Despite demand by human rights group and warning from international community, Israeli soldiers reportedly began opening fire on peaceful demonstrators once more during protests Friday along the Israel-Gaza border
Apr 06, 2018
As anti-occupation protests kicked off once more in Gaza on Friday just a week after Israeli soldiers massacred 17 Palestinians and injured over a thousand more, the prominent human rights group B'Tselem launched its first-ever ad campaign calling on Israeli soldiers to disobey "patently illegal" orders to shoot unarmed demonstrators.
"As long as soldiers in the field continue to receive orders to use live fire against unarmed civilians, they are duty-bound to refuse to comply."
--B'Tselem
"The use of live ammunition against unarmed persons who pose no danger to anyone is unlawful," B'Tselem noted in a statement on Thursday. "It is even more blatantly unlawful in the case of soldiers firing from a great distance at demonstrators located on the other side of the fence that separates Israel from the Gaza Strip."
Titled "Sorry Commander, I Cannot Shoot," the campaign was launched as Israeli officials indicated that they are once again planning to use deadly force against nonviolent demonstrators who come within 100 meters of the border fence separating Israel and the occupied Gaza Strip.
"We have defined the rules of the game clearly and we do not intend to change them," Avigdor Liberman, Israel's defense minister, said earlier this week. "Anyone trying to approach the fence is putting their lives at risk."
B'Tselem argued that such a policy constitutes a clear violation of international law, which restricts the use of deadly force "to instances involving tangible and immediate mortal danger, and only in the absence of any other alternative."
"The responsibility for issuing these unlawful orders and for their lethal consequences rests with the policy makers and--above all--with Israel's prime minister, defense minister, and the chief of staff," B'Tselem concluded. "That said, it is also a criminal offense to obey patently illegal orders. Therefore, as long as soldiers in the field continue to receive orders to use live fire against unarmed civilians, they are duty-bound to refuse to comply."
B'Tselem's ad campaign came as Palestinians began to gather for demonstrations on Friday, which are expected to consist of tactics deployed throughout the week, such as sit-ins, tire-burning, and the non-violent provocation known as "reading books."
According to Haaretz, several Palestinians are in critical condition after Israeli soldiers once more opened fire on peaceful protesters.
"The Palestinian Health Ministry reported of 40 wounded from gunfire, five of which were severely wounded from shots fired to the head and upper body," Haaretz reported. "All were evacuted to hospitals in the Strip, with dozens more being treated onsite mainly for smoke inhalation."
Ahead of Friday's demonstration, top officials--including UN secretary general Antonio Guterres and Elizabeth Throssell, a spokesperson for the human rights council--warned Israel against using lethal forceon unarmed protesters.
Speaking from Geneva, Throssel said that if Israeli troops open fire and it is determined to be unjustified, it would constitute a breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention, for the wilful killing of civilians.
"I particularly urge Israel to exercise extreme caution with the use of force in order to avoid casualties," Guterres said in a statement. "Civilians must be able to exercise their right to demonstrate peacefully.I call upon all parties on the ground to avoid confrontation and exercise maximum restraint."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
As anti-occupation protests kicked off once more in Gaza on Friday just a week after Israeli soldiers massacred 17 Palestinians and injured over a thousand more, the prominent human rights group B'Tselem launched its first-ever ad campaign calling on Israeli soldiers to disobey "patently illegal" orders to shoot unarmed demonstrators.
"As long as soldiers in the field continue to receive orders to use live fire against unarmed civilians, they are duty-bound to refuse to comply."
--B'Tselem
"The use of live ammunition against unarmed persons who pose no danger to anyone is unlawful," B'Tselem noted in a statement on Thursday. "It is even more blatantly unlawful in the case of soldiers firing from a great distance at demonstrators located on the other side of the fence that separates Israel from the Gaza Strip."
Titled "Sorry Commander, I Cannot Shoot," the campaign was launched as Israeli officials indicated that they are once again planning to use deadly force against nonviolent demonstrators who come within 100 meters of the border fence separating Israel and the occupied Gaza Strip.
"We have defined the rules of the game clearly and we do not intend to change them," Avigdor Liberman, Israel's defense minister, said earlier this week. "Anyone trying to approach the fence is putting their lives at risk."
B'Tselem argued that such a policy constitutes a clear violation of international law, which restricts the use of deadly force "to instances involving tangible and immediate mortal danger, and only in the absence of any other alternative."
"The responsibility for issuing these unlawful orders and for their lethal consequences rests with the policy makers and--above all--with Israel's prime minister, defense minister, and the chief of staff," B'Tselem concluded. "That said, it is also a criminal offense to obey patently illegal orders. Therefore, as long as soldiers in the field continue to receive orders to use live fire against unarmed civilians, they are duty-bound to refuse to comply."
B'Tselem's ad campaign came as Palestinians began to gather for demonstrations on Friday, which are expected to consist of tactics deployed throughout the week, such as sit-ins, tire-burning, and the non-violent provocation known as "reading books."
According to Haaretz, several Palestinians are in critical condition after Israeli soldiers once more opened fire on peaceful protesters.
"The Palestinian Health Ministry reported of 40 wounded from gunfire, five of which were severely wounded from shots fired to the head and upper body," Haaretz reported. "All were evacuted to hospitals in the Strip, with dozens more being treated onsite mainly for smoke inhalation."
Ahead of Friday's demonstration, top officials--including UN secretary general Antonio Guterres and Elizabeth Throssell, a spokesperson for the human rights council--warned Israel against using lethal forceon unarmed protesters.
Speaking from Geneva, Throssel said that if Israeli troops open fire and it is determined to be unjustified, it would constitute a breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention, for the wilful killing of civilians.
"I particularly urge Israel to exercise extreme caution with the use of force in order to avoid casualties," Guterres said in a statement. "Civilians must be able to exercise their right to demonstrate peacefully.I call upon all parties on the ground to avoid confrontation and exercise maximum restraint."
As anti-occupation protests kicked off once more in Gaza on Friday just a week after Israeli soldiers massacred 17 Palestinians and injured over a thousand more, the prominent human rights group B'Tselem launched its first-ever ad campaign calling on Israeli soldiers to disobey "patently illegal" orders to shoot unarmed demonstrators.
"As long as soldiers in the field continue to receive orders to use live fire against unarmed civilians, they are duty-bound to refuse to comply."
--B'Tselem
"The use of live ammunition against unarmed persons who pose no danger to anyone is unlawful," B'Tselem noted in a statement on Thursday. "It is even more blatantly unlawful in the case of soldiers firing from a great distance at demonstrators located on the other side of the fence that separates Israel from the Gaza Strip."
Titled "Sorry Commander, I Cannot Shoot," the campaign was launched as Israeli officials indicated that they are once again planning to use deadly force against nonviolent demonstrators who come within 100 meters of the border fence separating Israel and the occupied Gaza Strip.
"We have defined the rules of the game clearly and we do not intend to change them," Avigdor Liberman, Israel's defense minister, said earlier this week. "Anyone trying to approach the fence is putting their lives at risk."
B'Tselem argued that such a policy constitutes a clear violation of international law, which restricts the use of deadly force "to instances involving tangible and immediate mortal danger, and only in the absence of any other alternative."
"The responsibility for issuing these unlawful orders and for their lethal consequences rests with the policy makers and--above all--with Israel's prime minister, defense minister, and the chief of staff," B'Tselem concluded. "That said, it is also a criminal offense to obey patently illegal orders. Therefore, as long as soldiers in the field continue to receive orders to use live fire against unarmed civilians, they are duty-bound to refuse to comply."
B'Tselem's ad campaign came as Palestinians began to gather for demonstrations on Friday, which are expected to consist of tactics deployed throughout the week, such as sit-ins, tire-burning, and the non-violent provocation known as "reading books."
According to Haaretz, several Palestinians are in critical condition after Israeli soldiers once more opened fire on peaceful protesters.
"The Palestinian Health Ministry reported of 40 wounded from gunfire, five of which were severely wounded from shots fired to the head and upper body," Haaretz reported. "All were evacuted to hospitals in the Strip, with dozens more being treated onsite mainly for smoke inhalation."
Ahead of Friday's demonstration, top officials--including UN secretary general Antonio Guterres and Elizabeth Throssell, a spokesperson for the human rights council--warned Israel against using lethal forceon unarmed protesters.
Speaking from Geneva, Throssel said that if Israeli troops open fire and it is determined to be unjustified, it would constitute a breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention, for the wilful killing of civilians.
"I particularly urge Israel to exercise extreme caution with the use of force in order to avoid casualties," Guterres said in a statement. "Civilians must be able to exercise their right to demonstrate peacefully.I call upon all parties on the ground to avoid confrontation and exercise maximum restraint."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.