Palestinian boy used as a human shield

Majed Rabah, a nine year old Palestinian boy was held up at gun point by two Israeli soldiers and was forced to search bags for any hidden explosives. The incident which happened during the Gaza War in January 2009 left the boy badly traumatized. Majed, now 11, testified that members of the Israeli military stormed his block of flats, seized him by the collar and dragged him into a cellar. His mother, Afaf kept crying and begging the soldiers to spare her son’s life.  

Majed became very frightened and thought the soldiers would kill him. Though he tried to say something his voice did not come out and all of a sudden he wet his pants. The soldiers were pointing their guns directly at him. Speaking to Majed in Hebrew, a language he could not speak, the soldiers pointed at two bags located inside the toilet. He emptied the contents of the first bag on the floor.    

When Majed could not open the second bag, he was grabbed by the hair and slapped across the face by one of the soldiers. The cruel soldier then shot at the bag. The little boy thought the soldier shot at him and out of terror covered his face with his hands. 

The two cowardly soldiers who used the 9 year old boy as a human shield had been convicted after a closed military trial in Israel but escaped a three year jail sentence. Both soldiers were suspended for two years and were demoted from staff-sergeant to sergeant.  

In the Gaza War, Israel lost 13 people, most of them soldiers, whereas 1400 Palestinians (mostly women and children) got killed in the conflict which lasted for three weeks. However, Israeli war machine had to withdraw from Gaza without achieving any of its planned military objectives.       

This show trial held nearly two years after the incident was aimed to give the impression that Israel penalises its soldiers for breaking the rules of engagement. Following international criticism over Israel’s action during the Gaza offensive, the United Nations’ probe known as the Goldstone Report accused Israel of committing war crimes.   

Majed’s case was just one out of hundreds of such cases in which IDF soldiers committed war crimes during the onslaught on Gaza.    

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Written by: Ibrahim Nazim
30 November 2010, Tuesday
24 Zulhijjah 1431