The Israeli General Prosecution filed an official request to the Israeli High Court to reconsider a decision it issued on October 6, 2005 barring the army from using the Palestinian residents as human shield during the military operations.
The court’s decision came after “Adalah” (The Legal Center For Arab Minority Rights in Israel) and a number of Human Rights organizations in Israel, including B’Tselem, filed an appeal regarding this issue.
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The court decided the using the Palestinians as human shield violates the International Law. ÂÂ
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Although the Israeli Army Chief of Staff, Dan Halutz, has decided earlier on October not to appeal to the court against this ruling, he orders his troops not to abide by it during military attacks, especially when breaking into homes and places used as a hideout for resistance fighters.
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The army had frequently used Palestinian civilians as human shields, especially when troops attempt to arrest a claimed wanted Palestinian. The tactic often used is to send a neighbor to the house, the soldiers believe a wanted man resides, and ask him to knock the door. The goal is to get the target out of his house and enable the unit to jump on him and arrest him.
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In other cases, while invading an area where they believe armed resistance men are there, troops would force hand cuffed Palestinians to walk in front of them knowing that resistance men would not shoot at them if they know there is a Palestinian in the front.
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In another case, Israeli soldiers hand-cuffed a young Palestinian boy, on the front of their military jeep, and drove him through the town.
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Several Palestinians were killed and injured after the army used them as human shield, and engaged in gun battle with resistance fighters.
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Adalah filed the petition in May 2002 against the Commander of the Israeli Army in the West Bank; the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army; the Minister of Defense; and the Prime Minister.
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Israeli soldiers repeatedly used Palestinian civilians as human shields in their operations in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip; the civilians were forced to approach homes and hideouts of wanted residents, several residents were caught in crossfire between the resistance and the army, and were wounded or killed.
