Is it acceptable for soldiers to shoot unarmed anti-war protestors?

Question

Please look at the article and watch the video of this incident before replying.

Are these the actions of a rogue state? If so, should it be getting weapons and money from the EU and US?

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=20060816&articleId=2982

IF the soldiers were lebanese and the protestors were carying israeli flags, I think the level of scepticism may have been a lot lower.

As for taking this to the UN, there are plenty of UN resolutions that made it past the US veto waiting for Israel to implement. Kofi Anan said the invasion of iraq was illegal, so why no action as in the case when Kuwait was invaded?

The question is not about reporting anything to the UN. It is a question about what we do or dont find to be morally acceptable and why.

Answer 1

It isn't morally acceptable, but when you live in a nation without morals, it is accepted and even encouraged by those in power.

Answer 2

So much context is missing from this "explanation" that any conclusion would be doubtful. Probably the most reliable explanation is that this video is propaganda against Israel.

The thing I find somewhat suspecious is that the protestors didn't seem to have an audience nearby except for the soldiers & (I'm not sure here) possibly more than one camera. So... what was the protest staged for? Wouldn't it have made more sense to have staged a protest in a town square than in an area zoned off by the military?

I also think calling the protestors Israelis is a misnomer that conceals the truth. These were either Palestianians or (much less likely, I'd imagine) others sympathetic to their cause. Honestly, the partitioning of Israel to create a Palestinian homeland hardly seems the kind of thing you'd bring as a protest before a group of soldiers. Soldiers enact policy, they don't make policy.

This is a pretty slouchy piece of propaganda. The Israeli soldiers seemed pretty accustomed to having tv cameras trained on them and I only saw one person fall as a result of the shooting. So, I think it's safe to assume that there was a lot of dust kicked up by the soldiers only as a way to get the crowd to disperse. Life is one big IQ test my friend. If a group of soldiers tells you a town is off limits and starts firing warning shots, it's probably time to get the hell out of there. I dunno, does that seem reasonable to you?

Answer 3

If you look at the video you'll notice that the soldiers have attachments to the ends of there weapons and that after firing they have to reload not only in the the chamber but in the front of the barrel. there firing specially made rounds that are intended not to kill. but unfortunately they will penetrate soft areas of skin. The problem with the video is that it only shows one side of the story it doesn't explain why the soldiers were there or what time of day it is. there really is not information to make a valid judgment in this question by using the video. the video can be interpreted in many ways. the video has been edited it doesnt show everything.

Answer 4

Firstly I need to declare an interest - I don't like IsraeI. They are playground bullies that are destabilising their entire region.
HOWEVER, I have watched your video and you are peddling it to people as evidence when it is merely propaganda. Consider the following:
1. You'll notice that the only people firing weapons have muzzle adapters fitted to their rifles. These are used to allow the weapon (a M-16) to fire plastic bullets, which are used for crowd control.
2. With one exception, you do not see anyone on the ground or injured in the video. At the range that the soldiers are firing and taking into account the number of shots fired, the ground would be littered with casualties if normal rifle bullets were used.
3. The one casualty that is seen has been shot in the head, but seems fine! To kill someone with a plastic bullet (or "baton round") you would need to stand in front of them with the muzzle just in front of their face and fire.
4. Israelis are not stupid. Do you really think they would fire live rounds into an unarmed protest in front of a barrage of tv cameras?
So really, to the ignorant monkey who says that you should send your video to the UN or whatever, people should be more careful before responding to things like this. Furthermore, you do not know what you didn't see on the tape. The Israelis may have had perfectly good and legal reason to act in the way they did. As is usual in war, the only people that really know what happened, were the ones that were there.

Answer 5

No - this is a war crime. Since you have the evidence to substantiate a serious allegation then send a copy (DO NOT ALLOW THE ORIGINAL OUT OF YOUR POSSESSION!!!) to both the United Nations and the International Court of Human Rights in the Hague.

Answer 6

just goes to show once again that they are no better than the so called "terrorists" they are fighting. though it must be said that for croud control they usually shoot with rubber bullets that are not fatal unless used at extremely short range(the brittish army and police have used them in Northern Ireland too). That however does not justify the inhuman way with which they treat these people!!!

Answer 7

Totally Unacceptable.

Answer 8

Don't forget that martial law and civil law are not the same. If the occupying force have certain restraints in place like no demonstrations then depending on what the local commanders have been told.....
I don't say it is right, but hey, who started this bout of unprovoked murders in the first place...I don't think it was Israel

Answer 9

The Americans shot dead several anti-war students during the Vietnam war,I can't remember the name of the University.It goes to show that even in'The Great Democracy' no-one is allowed to to protest without putting their lives in danger.

Answer 10

Not acctually, it just depends on the eviroment factors, if the prostesters are armed, like they have arms, the soldiers can find this a good reason to shoot at will. The US G.I. Joe isn't pretty smart. I takes one to shout :" They are armed!" and bullets start flying..