Israeli troops used Palestinian as human shield

Questions about army practices peaked in the spring of 2002 during an offensive in the West Bank in response to suicide bombings. During the operation, soldiers often forced Palestinian civilians to approach the homes and hideouts of wanted people.

The army at that time defended the practice, known as “the neighbor procedure,” saying it took civilians out of harm’s way and encouraged militants to surrender peacefully. The army says it never allowed troops to use civilians for cover during battles.

But in August 2002, a 19-year-old Palestinian student was killed in a gunfight that erupted after he was forced to knock on the door of a building where a Hamas fugitive was hiding.

In its 2005 ruling, the Supreme Court barred any use of civilians in military operations, including the neighbor procedure. Since then, human rights groups say the number of cases has dropped sharply. But Palestinians and Israeli critics say the practice continues.

A military dilemma, a moral question
“When you have to decide between risking your soldiers’ lives or just a Palestinian bystander, the solution ... suddenly becomes much more logical than it sounds,” said Avichay Sharon, 25, a former Israeli commando who served from 2000 to 2003.

Sharon belongs to Breaking the Silence, a group of former soldiers who say army tactics in the West Bank are hurting Israel’s moral character. Based on confidential interviews his group has conducted with some 400 former and active soldiers, Sharon says the “human shield” practice remains common.

“Everyone has done it, seen it, witnessed it,” he said.

On the morning of Feb. 25, an AP cameraman followed a group of army jeeps rushing to a Nablus neighborhood. The cameraman noticed a young man dressed in shorts and a T-shirt who appeared out of place on the cold morning.

The cameraman zoomed in and filmed the man, later identified as Amira, leading soldiers through the front door of an apartment.

Gunfire inside
Gunshots were heard as several soldiers stood guard outside. Amira then left the home, walked down the stairs and escorted the soldiers around the side of the building. Later, he was led down some stairs with several suspects and put into a military vehicle.

Speaking to the AP, Amira said he led troops to three homes, including his own. He said soldiers fired into bedroom closets in his house — apparently thinking militants might be hiding inside.

“They made me go in front of them in every room they wanted to enter, and they fired behind my back,” Amira said, pointing to bullet holes in the floor, closet doors and clothes.

Amira said he has no ties to any militant group, though a cousin is wanted by Israel. He said he was held for several hours before being released.

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