If you do not know Ahmed and Salim yet, you might start with episode one. All episodes are available on Youtube, except the fourth episode which was banned, but is still available on the official homepage.

Btw: A good way to get news on Ahmed and Salim is furthermore adding them as friends on Facebook and for your convinience here is also the first episode:

Some days ago, the Israelian Newspaper Haaretz published an article and some follow-ups about the IDF investigating some issues which may have happend during the recent gaza crisis. The articles reported about some IDF soldiers who claimed having witnessed some cases of vandalism and misunderstandings with deadly consequences during the latest gaza war. The IDF and the society of Israel are discussing and investigating the cases. Nothing special so far, the same procedure as in every democratic country after a war. However, reading some other newspapers, the same information, though based solely on the articles issued by Haaretz itself, the story is presented somehow different and given a more »special« touch. And, of course, as usual, the first flames in the Pro Israel Groups of studiVZ appreared.

In particular, Ulrike Putz published an article which rather insinuates by its wording to unveil secret, shady practices (as suggested by the words »uncensored – for the very first time«) and »random murder« instead to inform and add some value by custom research (as the New York Times did e.g.). Beside the fact that Ulrike Putz forgot about the common agreement to designate the accused one – unless convicted – as presumedly accused she left several interesting details out. Anyhow, there should not too much to be expected by an author who even dared to describe Hamas as charity organization rather than a terrorist gang.

Despite the fact, that several witnesses refute the allegations raised in Haaretz, and in addition, the soldier coming up with all this slander might not even have been to Gaza, I have another idea. In my opinion the most interesting question is not if there have been really some war crimes commited by single IDF soldiers during the latest gaza war, but what to conclude if these allegations are right. So, let’s presume that there happend some violations of human rights as told in the articles issued by Haaretz, what concolusions were to be drawn?

At first, the articles issued by Haaretz show in a very clear manner, that

• 1. There has not been any systematic violation of human rights and, as insinuated by some authors (well known for Israel bashing and Hamas sympathy) of lurid articles, even more important,
• 2. Neither the Israelian society, nor the IDF are willing to accept or tolerate such incidents (and least of all »censor« and hide them). Rule of law is still working there.

In addition, ALL civilisized armies up to now seem to have similair problems. Pretending now that such an incident would be an outstanding delicate matter just because we talk about Jews, is nothing else than the feable form of antisemitic resentment which manifests – best described by Henryk M. Broder – in the notoric special treatment of Jews and Israel.

So just for example has the German Bundeswehr not being accused of being a gang guilty of »war crimes« just because some guys went nuts during their stay in Bosnia and Kosovo. As a matter of fact, it is war and it is violence that makes people go crazy. Thus, it would have been best, if there wouldn’t have been any war. On the other hand, this decision was solely up to the Hamas and the civilian society in Gaza which elected Hamas to be their Government.

First yearning for war and declaring it in such an archaic way as Hamas and Gaza people did is somewhat jerky. After being responsible for such declarations of war as the following:

and after being responsible for daily life in many parts of israel is often looking like this:

my very personal opinion is that the people in Gaza have a great deal of luck that they have to deal with the IDF. Maybe the IDF is not the most moral army (as Barak stated), but I am pretty sure that it is one of the most moral armies in the world. And finaly, I simply just would not like to imagine how it would have been if Hamas would have just a fraction of the power the IDF has at hand.

Thank God!

Ps: If you feel like doing something useful, why not try SupportIDF.org?!