Gaza Protests: Israel's open-fire rules come under scrutiny
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Gaza's March of Return protests are in week four. Palestinian casualties continue rising. At least 40 Palestinians were killed by Israel's army on Friday. Thousands were injured. This is raising questions over rules regarding opening fire on protesters and whether Israeli snipers are shooting to kill. CGTN's Stephanie Freid in Tel Aviv has this story.
MICHAEL SFARD HUMAN RIGHTS ATTORNEY, TEL AVIV "What the IDF has done was to completely invent a new field of law that is not existing and complicate these very simple formulas. And the result of it, are dead people in Gaza."
The simple formulas he's referring to: International law on open fire regulations against protesters.
MICHAEL SFARD HUMAN RIGHTS ATTORNEY, TEL AVIV "A specific individual poses a concrete, serious danger to life or to serious injury."
He is fighting Israeli army open fire regulations at the Supreme Court, arguing that Gaza's protesters do not present critical imminent danger, Therefore.
MICHAEL SFARD HUMAN RIGHTS ATTORNEY, TEL AVIV "The open fire regulations do not meet international standards and soldiers who follow them do violate international law."
That presents both moral and legal problems for snipers.
NADAV WEIMAN, EX IDF SPECIAL FORCES SNIPER SPOTTER, TEL AVIV "When you shoot from that distance - we're talking about two hundred, three hundred meters because they're lying right on the fence you see everything. You can aim to hit in the knee or hit in the ankle if you want because you’re so precise as a sniper. And that responsibility is not on the shoulders of the soldiers laying down over there with their rifles. It's on our government."
and in the collective subconscious of young soldiers following orders.
NADAV WEIMAN EX IDF SPECIAL FORCES SNIPER SPOTTER, TEL AVIV "That sniper that pulls the trigger - he knows the damage that he's going to do. This is something he is going to carry all of his life."
Israel's government iterates its right to defend Israel's borders against alleged terrorists and argues that Israel opposes applying human rights law during an armed conflict.
STEPHANIE FREID TEL AVIV "The IDF did not respond to numerous requests for comment or an on-camera interview regarding its official position on live fire orders at the Gaza fence. Israel's Supreme Court is expected to rule on open fire regulations vis a vis international law this week - days prior to the May 15 expected climax of Palestinian protests. Stephanie Freid, CGTN, Tel Aviv."