Israeli military gets good review
The Israeli military operated according to international law and maintained a high level of professionalism and morals, according to investigations conducted by the Israel Defense Forces.
The findings of five IDF probes were announced April 22 by IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Dan Harel. Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, the chief of staff, supervised the probes.
In “a very small number of incidents,” intelligence or operational errors took place during the fighting, the investigations revealed. “These unfortunate incidents were unavoidable and occur in all combat situations, in particular of the type which Hamas forced on the IDF, by choosing to fight from within the civilian population,” according to the IDF spokesman.
The investigations looked into claims involving incidents in which United Nations and international facilities were fired upon; shooting at medical facilities and personnel; the harming of uninvolved civilians; the use of white phosphorous; and damage to infrastructure by ground forces.
Investigators operated independently and were provided access to all relevant materials and the freedom to question personnel, according to the IDF spokesman. — jta
Researcher arrested, home raided
A former employee of the Israel Institute for Biological Research is suspected of revealing state secrets. Defense Ministry investigators raided the home of Dr. Yehoshua Gozes on April 20, confiscating a computer and other materials, Ha’aretz reported.
Gozes is suspected of leaking classified information reportedly connected with anthrax vaccine experiments conducted on Israel Defense Force soldiers in the early 1990s. The experiments were led by anthrax specialist Dr. Avigdor Shafferman. Gozes left the institute because of friction with Shafferman, according to Ha’aretz.
Gozes has denied any involvement with the leaking of state secrets. — jta
Olmert’s cancer getting worse
Ehud Olmert’s prostate cancer is worsening, tests have shown. Medical tests conducted this month at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York indicate that the tumor “requires immediate treatment,” according to a statement released April 19 by the former prime minister’s media adviser.
Olmert, who went public with his cancer in October 2007, will soon decide whether to opt for surgery or radiation therapy, and whether to be treated in Israel or in New York, according to reports. — jta
Hamas kills its foes, rights group says
The watchdog group Human Rights Watch reported this week that Hamas had killed 32 opponents and maimed dozens of others during and after its recent war with Israel in the Gaza Strip.
“The spate of attacks began during Israel’s military operation, from Dec. 27, 2008 to Jan. 18, 2009, including the summary execution of 18 men in Gaza, most of them suspected collaborators with Israel,” the report said. “It has continued in the three months since, with 14 more killings.”
Human Rights Watch rejected explanations from Hamas officials that such crimes were the exception and that some of those responsible faced charges.
“The systematic nature of many of the executions and attacks, and the fact that killings have continued after the Israeli offensive, undercut these assertions,” the rights group said. — jta
Holocaust museum opens in West Bank
A museum devoted to the Holocaust was dedicated in a Palestinian village.
The museum opened April 21, Holocaust Memorial Day, in Na’alin, which is known for weekly protests of Israel’s security barrier that divides the village in two.
The museum is located in an apartment near where an 11-year-old Palestinian boy was killed last year during a barrier protest, Ynet reported. Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum provided the fledgling project with pictures and educational material in Arabic. — jta
Sharansky is pick for Jewish Agency
Natan Sharansky is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s choice to head the Jewish Agency.
Netanyahu will recommend to the Jewish Agency Board of Governors that the former prisoner of Zion be appointed as the agency’s next chairman, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office released April 18.
Sharansky, 61, now heads the Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies at the Shalem Center Institute for International and Middle East Studies in Jerusalem.
Sharansky has served as a minister in several Israeli governments. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in 2006. — jta