Human Shields - Or Not - As The Case May Be

There is one - and only one as far as I can tell - report coming out of Gaza that Israeli troops used civilians as human shields. This is from the BBC and is based on a single report of an advocacy group with the stated mission of:

… B'Tselem acts primarily to change Israeli policy in the Occupied Territories and ensure that its government, which rules the Occupied Territories, protects the human rights of residents there and complies with its obligations under international law.

They receive their funding:

B'Tselem is independent and is funded by contributions from foundations in Israel, Europe, and North America that support human rights activity worldwide, and by private individuals in Israel and abroad. (Ed Note: And I would dearly love to know where all that money is coming from, wouldn't you?)

This report is based on an uncorroborated statement from one Hazem Ali:

The three brothers were blindfolded, says Hazem, and their hands tied behind their backs. He shows me the wounds on his wrists from the plastic handcuffs - still sore and infected, but beginning to heal over.

He shows me where the soldiers positioned them: outside the entrance to his flat on the third floor, in the stairwell, facing down the steps.

"I think they put us here because they were expecting suiciders to come into the flat because none of the soldiers were on the stairs - they were all inside the flat. They put us here so we'll be shot first."

Inside the flat, the soldiers punched holes in the walls of his living room, and bedroom. Through them, snipers exchanged fire with Palestinian militants. Hazem and his brothers heard it all, but could see nothing.

Hazem says he had little idea at the time exactly how long he was kept there. All he remembers was listening to the heavy gunfire around him, and counting the calls to prayer as they echoed over the area: one at lunchtime, one at tea-time, and one in the evening as the sun set. Twelve hours in all.

He says he expected to die any second. He still can't understand why, as civilians, they couldn't be kept in a room somewhere inside the house, where they would have been safer. But they put us in the middle of the clashes, he says. "There was no need for that."

(There is a picture of Ali's arm in the story. The supposed mark from the plastic cuffs appears to be very high on his arm. If the cuff were placed in that spot, there would be more than enough slack in the cuff for Ali to have slid the cuff off over his wrist. That should be obvious to a casual observer. If you doubt that, get a nylon cable tie and try it yourself. If it is positioned that high on the arm, your wrist will slip right out. Cuffs are normally applied just above the wrist bones to avoid that possibility.)

Aside from all of that read this again:

He shows me where the soldiers positioned them: outside the entrance to his flat on the third floor, in the stairwell, facing down the steps.

"I think they put us here because they were expecting suiciders to come into the flat because none of the soldiers were on the stairs - they were all inside the flat. They put us here so we'll be shot first."

Inside the flat, the soldiers punched holes in the walls of his living room, and bedroom. Through them, snipers exchanged fire with Palestinian militants. Hazem and his brothers heard it all, but could see nothing. (Emphasis added)

So, they put the men out  away from the gunfire? And that is using them as human shields?

All of that said. IF the Israeli unit in question actually used these men as human shields, of course it is wrong and they should be disciplined for it. But it is not the systematic, continuous use of human shields the Hezbollah thugs use, as even the UN has charged. So yes, Kathy, I would condemn it if it didn't stink this badly as being a false charge meant to stir up the left. As it has done so well in your case.