Israeli soldiers say they have OK to use tough tactics in Gaza

[DogPoundPup]

ALONG THE ISRAEL-GAZA BORDER — When Israeli soldiers saw a suspected suicide bomber riding a bike towards them, they moved quickly. As the man ducked into a building for safety, Israeli soldiers said they used a bulldozer to bring the walls down on top of him.

When armed Palestinians popped out of a tunnel and tried to attack, Israeli troops said they used tank fire and a bulldozer to decimate the militants.

In fight after fight and neighborhood after neighborhood, Israeli soldiers are bringing more aggressive tactics to the Gaza Strip battlefields.

In interviews earlier in the week with embedded pool reporters and Wednesday with a McClatchy reporter along the Gaza Strip border, Israeli troops said a freer military hand has given them a decisive edge over outgunned Palestinian militants in the 19-day-old conflict. They also said they were surprised by the relatively light resistance from Hamas fighters.

From the hospital beds in southern Israel to an artillery unit along the Gaza border, nearly a dozen soldiers told McClatchy that Israel had to deliver an unprecedented blow to ensure that Hamas militants don't resume their rocket attacks when the fighting ends.

"You can't be lenient," said O., a 29-year-old Israeli reservist who declined to give his full name because soldiers can be disciplined for talking to reporters without explicit permission. "We're using a lot more firepower, and the orders for engagement are less strict."

One significant change this time is that Israeli soldiers don't have to go as far up the chain-of-command before opening fire, said O.

The Israeli military declined to comment on what battlefield rules it has given to soldiers. Whatever the case, Israel's military strategy has succeeded so far in keeping Israeli deaths to a minimum. So far, nine Israeli soldiers have died fighting in Gaza, and four of them were victims of friendly fire.

more ... http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/59704.html

[DogPoundPup]

1. And they shot Gazan women waving white flags

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=124&topic_id=247094&mesg_id=247094

[PDJane]

2. They're still repeating that tired old wheeze.......

Hamas, hamas, hamas.....but it was Israel who broke the cease fire!

[uppityperson]

3. kick for "proportionate" responses.

I wish I could rec, but can't. This is wrong. Thank you for posting this.

[catnhatnh]

4. Since we know that "enhanced" interrogations=torture

I'll bet "tough" tactics are a REAL war crime/bitch.

[azurnoir]

5. More enhanced than this?

“We are treating everything as hostile right now. We were told not to take chances — to shoot rather than ask questions.”

The Israeli military declined to comment on what battlefield rules it has given to soldiers.

I'll bet they did sort of like taking the 5th