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Father, forgive me, I will not fight for your Israel “I went to this village in the West Bank, and the Israeli army just put a check-point in the middle of the village for no reason just to make it difficult for the people to cross and we wanted to take it off. So they start shooting at us like crazy. And I didn’t understand, like, is the army that I’ve been told all of my life is protecting me, now shooting at me? My whole idea of what they are just vanished.” “I knew I had to go with my heart because I’m gonna live with myself. You know I didn’t wanna regret for the rest of my life being a part of a system that is so wrong, is so illegal, and doing awful things.” (what would you say to your father) “Each of us is fighting for our beliefs; I chose the non-violent way, you chose the violent way- It’s very hard for me to answer that. I wish we can get better but I’m not sure it will happen.” Omer Goldman Granot, from the Tel-Aviv suburb of Ramat HaSharon, is a member of th...

Inside Story - AlJazeera - 16 July 09 A group of soldiers who took part in Israel's assault in Gaza in December and January say widespread abuses were committed against civilians under "permissive" rules of engagement. Inside Story discusses whether Israel did commit war crimes and if it did, can those responsible be held accountable.

Three rockets fell Thursday in the area around the Gaza Strip, one in the yard of a Sderot home - just a few reminders that Israel is still far from its declared goal in Operation Cast Lead. Discussion about the military operation's outcome revolves around the term "deterrence." If Israel can enshrine Cast Lead in a long-term agreement, the war will be remembered as a success. But fears are mounting that the operation's military achievements are dissipating. If so, the operation will go down in history as a less-than-successful round in a long war in the Gaza Strip. The Israel Defense Forces left Gaza with the feeling that it had proven itself, after its debacle in Lebanon in 2006. But it seems that the bottom line will have to wait. In Lebanon, too, it took several months before it could be concluded that although the IDF made mistakes, enough deterrence against Hezbollah was achieved to prevent renewed fighting. Barak, who was quick to criticize what went wrong in L...

The border crossings between Israel and Gaza have become a central tool in the struggle against Hamas in the years since it took over the Strip. Security circles claim they have solid proof that Hamas is using raw materials and "innocent" products for the creation of weapons. In addition to the security arguments, Israel makes it difficult for goods to enter the Gaza Strip as a means of punishment and as pressure on Hamas every time it disturbs the peace. Recently Israel added food products, such as pasta, and building materials, such as glass, which are needed for repairing the many buildings destroyed during Operation Cast Lead, to the list of prohibited goods. The experience from the war in Lebanon and the territories should have taught the decision makers that collective punishment of the civilian population is not merely not moral, but also harmful. The residents do not turn their anger against Hamas but rather against those who prevent the food from reaching their child...

"For us, being cautious means being aggressive," one IDF officer told IPS , "When we suspect that a Palestinian fighter is hiding in a house, we shoot it with a missile and then with two tank shells, and then a bulldozer hits the wall. It causes damage but it prevents the loss of life among soldiers." Due to the significant loss of military lives in the Lebanon war, Israeli military planners took into account the effect on Israeli morale and support during the war on Gaza. "From the minute we entered, we've acted like we're at war. That creates enormous damage on the ground," the officer continued. In addition to so-called military targets, the IDF has bombed clearly marked UN buildings such as hospitals and several schools which has lead to many women and children - non-combatants - being massacred for doing nothing more than trying to shelter and hide from the fighting. These buildings were shelled even though the UN had clearly given the IDF...