IDF chief: Dahariya incident to be taught in commanders' training

IDF chief: Dahariya incident to be taught in commanders' training
Last update - 00:00 16/08/2007
By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent


Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi on Tuesday decided that the lessons of the incident in Dahariya last month, in which IDF troops shot a Palestinian civilian without justification, would be taught in all IDF commanders' training courses.
Ashkenazi is still considering taking harsher measures against those involved in the affair.

After a summarizing briefing on the incident, the chief of staff said Tuesday that the rampage had exposed serious problems in the IDF's command norms as well as grave failures in the professional and operational aspects.

Ashkenazi said he views with grave severity the incident in which a platoon commander and his troops, who were conducting a routine patrol in the West Bank, kidnapped a Palestinian taxi driver at gunpoint, tied him up, and drove through Dahariya as if they were undercover.

During the drive, one of the soldiers shot a Palestinian man who aroused the commander's suspicion, wounding him moderately. The soldiers then left the town, leaving the man behind without attending to him, and never reported the incident to anyone.

When Palestinian reports of the incident reached the IDF, the soldiers gave a false account of the events.

The commander of the platoon has been indicted for his role in the incident.