A NUMBER of IDF soldiers and officers have alleged that the Israeli military engaged in immoral conduct during Operation Cast Lead.
One soldier, quoted by Ha'aretz, described an incident in which an IDF sniper killed a Palestinian woman and her two children.
"There was one house with a family in it. We put them into some room. Afterward, we left the house and another company went in, and a few days after we went in there was an order to release the family. There was a sniper position on the roof and the company commander released the family and told them to take a right," said the soldier. "One mother and her two children didn't understand, and they took a left. Someone forgot to notify the sniper on the roof that the family had been released, and that it was okay, it was fine, to hold fire, and he...You can say he acted as necessary, as he was ordered to."
 The IDF military advocate general, brigadier general Avichai Mendelblit, has reportedly instructed the criminal investigation division of the military police to examine "the claims made regarding alleged actions of soldiers during Operation Cast Lead."
"Several weeks ago, Mr Danny Zamir, the head of the 'Rabin' Preparation Programme, sent a letter to the IDF Chief of the General Staff's office describing claims made by soldiers at a gathering held at the centre. Brigadier general Eli Shirmeister, the IDF chief education officer, was made responsible to address the matter," confirmed the IDF spokesperson's office.
However, Israel Radio reports that Zamir has thus far refused to provide any information that would allow IDF officials to investigate the above-mentioned incident.
"It is unfortunate that Mr Zamir did not take the initative and convince the soldiers to do their civic duty and come forward and file complaints," commented Dr Aaron Lerner, editor of the Independent Review and Analysis (IMRA).
Major (reserve) Idan Zuaretz of the Givati Brigade offered a similar assessment to Ynet.
"If this was such a burning issue for them, why have they remained silent until now?" asked Zuaretz. "On an ethical and moral level, they were obligated to stop what they claimed had occurred and not wait two months to be heard at some esoteric debate."
"Free Gaza" spokesperson Hawida Araf explained that that the soldiers felt "compelled" by their conscience to discuss what occured during Cast Lead - even months after the operation had ended.
"It is hard to say that the claims of immoral conduct are surprising. Apparently some of things the soldiers had done in Gaza weighed on their conscience to such a degree that they felt  compelled to make them known," said Araf.
As The News previously reported, various international NGOs and political organisations have accused Israel of committing a number of questionable acts during Operation Cast Lead, including firing white phosphorous shells and flechette darts, using Palestinians civilians as "human shields" and destroying civilian infrastructure.
However, Dan Kosky, the communications director of Jerusalem-based NGO Monitor, noted that the legal rhetoric to describe alleged Israeli war crimes was often "simplistic and misleading."
"NGOs routinely accuse Israel of a 'disproportionate response' or 'collective punishment,' describing them as 'war crimes' as if it were a closed case. They ignore the very complex legal issues over proportionality, the dilemmas of defining collective punishment and even omit the very basic fact that the killing of civilians in warfare is not illegal under international law," added Kosky.
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