Updates

One year ago today, Operation Cast Lead began. 762 Palestinians who did not take part in the hostilities were killed, and vast damage was caused to houses, factories, and infrastructure in Gaza. Israel has not yet instituted an independent apparatus to investigate the violations committed by the army during the operation, and nobody has been brought to justice.

Twice this month, soldiers fired 22-caliber bullets at demonstrators against the Separation Barrier in Ni'lin, injuring four. This contradicts the JAG's statement that this potentially lethal ammunition is not a means to disperse demonstrators, and that stringent rules apply to its use.

The Military Police are investigating some 21 incidents from Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip. However, these investigations address specific incidents and will not address larger policy questions. They will also not examine the responsibility of civilian leaders, nor of senior military officers for potential war crimes. B'Tselem repeats its demand for Israel to conduct an effective, independent investigation into its conduct in Cast Lead.

On 22 Sept. '09, Rabi’ a-Tawil, from East Jerusalem, entered Israel through the Mevo Beitar checkpoint. At a nearby gas station, soldiers took his identifying documents and went to the checkpoint. A-Tawil continued to a second gas station, some two kilometers from the checkpoint, where soldiers shot and killed him, although he did not endanger them.

B'Tselem is persistently advocating for Israel to implement the principal recommendation of the Goldstone report and mount an independent investigation into suspicions that Israeli forces breached international humanitarian law in Operation Cast Lead.

B'Tselem releases comprehensive casualty figures from the three-week operation. The enormous toll on civilians - including the death of 320 minors - requires serious introspection on the part of the military, the government, and Israeli society as a whole.

While the military has attacked the credibility of soldiers' testimonies regarding Operation Cast Lead, it has failed to open a single serious investigation into events detailed by Palestinian witnesses to B'Tselem.

In July '08, a soldier shot a handcuffed detainee in the presence of his commander, yet the two were charged only with "unbecoming conduct". Today, the Israeli High Court of Justice ruled in favor of changing the indictments to reflect the gravity of the offense.

B'Tselem demands that the army stop all use of white phosphorous in Gaza, and that its use in Operation Cast Lead be thoroughly investigated. The conclusions of a recent army inquiry into the matter are completely divorced from the effects suffered in the field.