Israel Considering Changing Rules of Engagement for Palestinian Stone and Firebomb Throwers

By Robert Farago

Start with this: a stone can be a deadly weapon. Same goes for a “simple” fire bomb. “Though the Israeli military does not disclose details about its rules of engagement, citing security concerns, standing orders are said to limit the use of live ammunition by soldiers to situations that they deem to be life-threatening,” nytimes.com reports. Seems clear enough. Only when is stone and/or bomb throwing a nuisance and when is it a “deadly threat”? And how could new “rules of engagement” make that distinction clearer? I reckon they can’t. But that isn’t stopping the Israelis from taking action, in light of increased attacks in Palestinian neighborhoods, including . . .

On Wednesday, Israeli firefighters and police and border officers rescued Palestinian residents atop a burning building in Issawiya in East Jerusalem. As the firefighters and officers left the scene, they were attacked with stones, according to the police, and an Israeli woman was injured last month when a firebomb set alight a car in which she was traveling close to Route 443. Nine Palestinians from Beit Hanina — four of them minors — were charged in the firebombing . . .

Palestinian officials and human rights groups denounce …read more

Source:: Truth About Guns