Israel killing civilians "not out of line with procedure"

It won't surprise anyone to learn that Israel has cleared its soldiers of any culpability in the killing of nine Palestinian civilians including the Reuters camerman, Fadel Shana. Here's the Reuters report:




And here's Ynet:

the conduct of the tank crew, who erroneously identified Shana as an armed gunman, was not out of line with procedure. None of the implicated soldiers will stand trial.

The last moments of footage recorded by Shana capture the image of a tank stationed several hundred feet away from the border fence firing. Two seconds later the film is cut off.

"The tank crew was unable to determine the nature of the object mounted on the tripod and positively identify it as an anti-tank missile, a mortar or a television camera," Mendelblit wrote.

He further cited an attack that killed three IDF soldiers in another part of the enclave earlier in the day, a separate grenade attack on a tank, the fact that Shana and his soundman who was wounded were wearing body armour - "common to Palestinian terrorists" - among reasons for suspicion.

How dare journalists insult the most moral army in the world by wearing body armour? It's not as if.... oh never mind.