In response to petition filed by human rights groups, IDF says its directives ‘comply with Israeli and international law’
The Israeli army refused to disclose the rules of engagement applying to the protests at the Gaza border, in response to a petition submitted to the High Court of Justice on April 15 by four human rights organizations.
In a statement, the state said the rules of engagement in the area are classified, adding that if asked by the court to present them it would do so only in closed session and without the presence of the plaintiffs.
In their petition, the organizations demand the revocation of the order permitting soldiers to fire live bullets at demonstrators at the border even if there is no clear and present danger to human life.
The groups also want the court to rule that the current rules of engagement governing demonstrations are illegal.
The petition was submitted by Yesh Din, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel.
“The formulation of the rules of engagement was approved by the Military Advocate General and by the attorney general,” the state said in its response to the petition, adding that the directives “comply with Israeli law and with international law.”
Regarding the protests along the border with Israel inside the Gaza Strip that began five weeks ago, the response said they “constitute part of the armed conflict between the Hamas terror organization and Israel, with all that this implies.”
The response went on to say that Hamas is exploiting the protests to carry out terror attacks, and that the organization that rules the Gaza Strip has orchestrated “intentional and significant” confrontations with Israel’s security forces as well as attempts to damage Israeli security infrastructure.
Source: Haaretz
