SUGGESTATION

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/apr/17/middleeastthemedia.television

The Guardian has footage up of the death of Reuters cameraman Fadel Shana, killed in Gaza by a tank shell. Reuters have reported that doctors examining Mr Shana’s body confirmed he had been killed by flechettes (long slivers of metal, burst from a shell exploded in mid-air) fired by an Israeli tank.

There has long been controversy over the use of flechettes by Israel. In april 2003, a petition submitted to the Israeli High Court by several human rights organisations was rejected, along with the statement:

This court has ruled that “the choice of weapons, which the respondents use for the goal of preventing murderous terror attacks, is not one of the topics in which this court sees fit to intervene.” (HCJ 5872/ 01, Bracha v Prime Minister, PD 56 (3)1). Needless to say, the respondents have eased our minds that the scope of use of this ammunition is arranged by the IDF through rules that are binding on the commanders of forces acting in the field. The decision regarding the question as to whether the conditions in the arena of combat, in every given case, justify use of the flechette, is determined by the authorized commander, who in formulating his decision is commanded to act according to professional guidelines, that in principle were intended to prevent harming residents not involved in activities that endanger IDF soldiers or Israeli citizens.

Not our problem, gov.

Journalists risk death whenever they report in areas affected by violence. The use of indescriminate weapons such as flechettes can make it impossible for reporters to work however, and obviously they will kill soldiers, and innocent civilians including children alike. Fadel Shana was killed near a refugee camp - he had been covering the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike that had killed several children.

In the released footage, Danny Seaman, an Israeli press office spokesperson, states:

The tragic loss of life today of a Reuters photographer in gaza is the direct result of the cynical behaviour of the Hamas army. This army which chooses to fire against Israeli civilians also uses the Palestinian civilians as a shield.

Israel has experience with human shields.

You may think that this post is a little one-sided, and that I am holding Israel to a higher standard than Hamas. You’re damn right I am - they’re the ones getting millions of US dollars in aid, and boatloads of arms. ‘Kill them all and let god sort them out’ is a phrase best left to history.