An Israeli Pilot Speaks Out

[kalian]

http://www.counterpunch.org/shapira01232004.html

I am Yonathan, one of the initiators and signatories raeli pilot’s letter. Until some weeks ago I was a pilot and active leader in a squadron of “Blackhawk” helicopters in the air force. On the eve of last Yom Kippur I was called for an interview with the commander of the air force, wherein he told me that I was dismissed and that I was not a pilot anymore in the Israeli air force and all this because I announced that I will not agree to take part in obeying illegal and immoral orders.

And now during the last few months the commander of the air force has been making the rounds of the bases and the flight crews and announcing that a large and powerful organization supports our group, and the military will find it and expose it to all. On this present festive occasion, I want to disclose to you who this large and powerful body is. It is an organization on whose knees we grew up and were educated on.

I want to read to you two of the basic values of--the Israel Defense Forces.

Human Dignity: The IDF and its soldiers are obliged to honor human dignity. Each human being should be respected, regardless of his race, creed, nationality, gender, status or his social role.

Purity of arms: The soldier will use his weapons and his might only to achieve his objective, to the degree that this is required for the purpose, and will retain his humanity even during battle. The soldier will not use his weapons and his might to hurt persons who are not fighters, or prisoners, and will do everything in his power to prevent an assault on their life, their body or their property.

...more...
Very good read.

[number6]

1. wow !

"On this specific mission a one-ton bomb was dropped (equal to a hundred suicide bombs) on a house in the Al-Deredg quarter in Gaza, one of the most crowded neighborhoods in Gaza, indeed in the whole world. During this action 14 human beings were killed and more than 150 others were wounded. Four families, 9 children, 2 women and 2 men, were wiped out by the crew of the airplane that executed this mission and hit the target in the full belief that they were defending Israelis." :wow:

[Resistance]

2. do you know what Sharon called this Israeli terror mission?

"a great success"

[Resistance]

3. very good article, thanks for posting.

as a side comment, you know what really makes me sick? That the U.S. and Israeli militaries even think to name their Weapons of Mass Destruction names like "Apache". That is seriously demented, and just shows the warped, pathetic mentality of those who allow it to continue. Would anyone think twice if, say, the German military started naming their assault vehicles "Jew" or "Gypsy"?

[Resistance]

4. but of course

CounterPunch is just so anti-semitic for publishing this kind of thing. A pilot speaking out! Wow how awful! Oh no! Speaking out against war crimes is really a very bad thing and CounterPunch should not allow it! </sarcasm>