More IDF Depravity: Use of Palestinians as Human Shields

Yves here. As the famed short seller David Einhorn was wont to say, “No matter how bad you think it is, it’s worse.” That is true in spades of the IDF. Below, Tom Neuburger reports on a coverup masquerading as an investigation of the IDF use of Palestinians as human shields, typically in clearing buildings. The fact that this “investigation” took place suggests there was too much evidence of this disgusting, cowardly practice to keep it under wraps.

The only good news in this sick picture is even the IDF is unhappy with Netanyahu escalating in his campaign in Gaza (and Lebanon and the West Bank and Syria) if nothing else on pragmatic grounds, that its forces are overstretched. For instance (see here at 3:45) reservists are refusing call up orders.

By Thomas Neuburger. Originally published at God’s Spies

IDF soldiers with Palestinian captive. Source: Haaretz. Photo: David Bachar

“There are four “Slaves” in a platoon, twelve in a battalion, and 36 in a brigade.”
—Report in Haaretz on the IDF use of human shields

In my early life I lived in the city of Chicago. I have many stories of that unusual town, some personal, some about what went on around me. Like any large “world city” it has its own character, its mark. Chicago’s mark is corruption, glorious, public and bold.

Two stories, one that’s passed on as legendary stuff, and one I saw reported the year I moved out. The first: In 1970, a longtime Democrat and Illinois Secretary of State, Paul Powell, suddenly died. Powell, unmarried, lived at a hotel in Springfield, the Illinois capital. When a friend went to sort out his belongings, he found $750,000 stuffed into a variety of containers, including shoeboxes, a Marshall Fields gift box and numerous attaché cases. The phase “under the bed” was used a lot.

That wasn’t the extent of his corruption; his whole estate was worth millions when millions was money, much of it in improperly manipulated racetrack stock. The $750,000 was just the cash part.

Adlai Stevenson III, then-state treasurer and son of the man who ran (twice) against Dwight Eisenhower, quipped about Powell on hearing news of his death:His shoeboxes will be hard to fill. (Not true. Illinois is inventive.)

The second involves a report of a Federal investigation into ticket-fixing judges. I had just left the city, but the newspaper reports, with headlines like “Chicago cleans up its act”, were national. Weeks went by. The papers were hitting it hard.

Then, when the results were released, it was true beyond doubt: The town was clearly corrupt; two judges had been found and were brought up on charges.

And that’s when I knew the investigation was also corrupt. Two judges? On any day in my seven years living there, I could ask any lawyer to find me a crooked judge to fix any violation short of vehicular manslaughter. I could do it each day for a year and not repeat judges.

The saps who took the indictments? Retirement must have been near and the payback substantial. Chicago knows how to say “Thank you.” Just ask Paul Powell, should you run into him.

A Deadlier Example

Which brings us to the point of this piece. Seems the Israeli Military Police went looking for evidence that Israeli soldiers were using Palestinians as human shields to “clear” houses and areas deemed otherwise dangerous. If they thought a place might be rigged, they sent in a Palestinian to find out first.

Did this really occur? The MP’s investigated and, shock! The stories were true. Guess how many instances they found? All of six. Is the inquiry a PR stunt, on a much more deadly par with the Illinois judges? Short answer: Yes.

Thanks to DropSite News, we have this translation of a Haaretz op-ed by “Anonymous,” an IDF soldier. Read and weep.

I saw that six investigations were opened by the Military Police (MP) regarding the use of Palestinians as human shields, and I almost choked. I’ve seen cover-ups in my life, but this is a new low. In Gaza, human shields are used at least six times a day. If the MP wants to do its job seriously, they should open at least 2,190 investigations. But the MP just wants to pretend to the world that we’re investigating ourselves, so they find a few scapegoats and pin everything on them.

I was in Gaza for nine months. I saw many new procedures. One of the worst was the “Mosquito Procedure”: innocent Palestinians were forced to enter homes in Gaza and “clear” them, meaning checking for militants or explosives. We gave it various names, “Mosquito Procedure,” “Shawish” (slaves), “Platforms.”

I first encountered this in December 2023, two months into the ground maneuver. This was long before the shortage of “Sting” dogs became the insane and unofficial excuse for this insane and unofficial procedure. I didn’t understand back then how common it would become. Today, almost every company holds “Shawish,” [“slaves”] and infantry forces don’t enter a house before the “Shawish” clears it. This means there are 4 “Shawish” in a platoon, 12 in a battalion, and 36 in a brigade. At least. We’re holding a layer of slaves, and the MP is trying to cover it up with six investigations.

This is as much of the article as DropSite printed, but the original is here, and Google Translate seems to work well on it. Later in the report we learn:

An officer friend told me about an incident that happened to them: in one of the houses that the “Shawish” had cleared, they encountered a terrorist. The “Shawish” was an adult (innocent), and when he realized he had messed up — he peeed in his pants out of fear. I don’t know what happened to him. I was afraid to ask.

There’s no question that depravity runs deep in the IDF, as corruption does in Chicago. Not with every Israeli — that would be unfair and unlikely — but with a critical mass, for this to go on. Will Israel escape judgment? I doubt it. But judgment could take a while.

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5 comments

  1. JBird4049

    There is an ever growing mountain of evidence of such crimes, but I when mention Israeli atrocities, I get actual incomprehension from my relatives, and accusations of trolling or antisemitism from others on line. Some of these people must know and falsely accuse me for whatever ever reason, but many, maybe a majority, are honest although I am more disturbed by the incomprehension and the disbelief than I am by the dishonesty. It does all those former Nazis protestations more believable. It also make me wonder what I am hiding from my own sight and comprehension. I trust nothing as evil, but how could I know?

    Reply
  2. ciroc

    I would no longer be surprised to hear that Israel has committed war crimes. Rather, I would be surprised to be told that there are war crimes that Israel has not yet committed.

    Reply
  3. JohnA

    Starmer is never slow to condemn Russia and accuse it of war crimes in relation to Ukraine. However, the exact opposite is the case with Israel.
    Yesterday British foreign minister Lammy finally stated unequivocally that Israel was breaking international law in Gaza. However, he was soon rapped on the knuckles by a Starmer spokesperson who said Israel was ‘only at risk of breaching international law’.
    Ay there is the rub. All politicians in power in the west are bought and paid for by the zionist lobby. Until this is properly addressed and such financing blocked, nothing will fundamentally change. All the IOF atrocities in the world will not change anything. The only hope is that the rot underpinning the zionist state causes the entire edifice and everything within it to collapse.

    Reply
  4. Zagonostra

    Will Israel escape judgment? I doubt it. But judgment could take a while.

    Justice delayed is justice denied.

    Reply
  5. JonnyJames

    Genocide Joe, now Genocide Don

    Wait a minute, I thought the DT2 regime was going to bring peace? As if we can believe the Bloviating Bullshitter in chief. But to be fair, this is bipartisan, of course. Pete “Deus Vult” Hegseth “The American Crusader” has some ideas about the Muslims and A-rabs.

    https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/white-house-press-release-president-trumps-plan-for-peace-gaza-draws-praise

    I don’t see how stealing resources from the US public and giving it to a foreign country to mass murder women and children is “patriotic”. But millions apparently enjoy being lied to, ripped off and abused.

    Reply

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