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-- "In urban warfare, anyone is your enemy; no innocents;" and
-- "They kept repeating to us that this is war and in war opening fire is not restricted....There was a clear feeling, and this was repeated whenever others spoke to us, that no humanitarian consideration played any role in the army at present."
In his book titled, "The 'Good Soldier' on Trial: A Sociological Study of Misconduct by the US Military Pertaining to Operation Iron Triangle, Iraq," Professor Stjepan Mestrovic documented disturbing evidence of illegal US rules of engagement (ROE); namely, that commanders order troops to commit war crimes, citing an Army brigade colonel saying kill every military-aged Iraqi on sight, even civilians posing no threat.
Yet when the truth comes out, low-ranking soldiers are blamed, prosecuted, and punished to absolve superiors up the chain of command to the top. Mestrovic correctly observed "that a crime becomes a 'war crime' when it involves the government, which is to say, when a crime is the result of unlawful social policies and plans."
According to noted sociologist Emile Durkheim, "The immorality of war depends entirely on the leaders who willed it - the soldier and even those government officials who had no part in the decision remain innocent."
It's true in America, Israel and all sides in times of war.
Anonymous Testimonies of Female Combatants
Like their male counterparts, courageous female soldiers went public, "shed(ding) additional light on what happens in the back yard of the State of Israel," that what once was "exceptional," is now the norm. As a result, Israeli society is sliding down "an ethical slope together with the entire military system."
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