Israel commander suspended for using 'human shields'

The Israeli military has suspended the commander of an operation in which troops ordered Palestinian youths in the West Bank to stand in front of their vehicle to protect it from stones thrown by locals, the army spokesman’s office said today.

Video footage capturing this incident in Nablus on Wednesday is the latest piece of evidence that the army continues to use human shields in violation of a landmark Israeli Supreme Court ruling in 2005 barring the practice.

“Following the incident in which IDF soldiers apparently made prohibited use of civilians, Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Yair Naveh ordered the suspension of the commander of the mission from all operational activity, in addition to the ongoing investigation into the matter,” the army statement said.

Additionally, the chief military counsel has ordered a military police investigation into the incident, the statement said.

For several years, Palestinians had complained about the army’s use of human shields, but proof was difficult to come by.

Then in late February, Associated Press Television News captured footage of a Palestinian man forced to lead heavily armed soldiers, on a manhunt for wanted militants, in a house-to-house search.

That APTN video prompted the army to launch a rare criminal investigation into whether its soldiers have broken the law as critics claim.