Thursday, June 10, 2010

Possible Video of Activist's Execution by IDF Commando (Edit: Or Possibly Not)

(See addendum below)

There's a video linked over at Juan Cole that appears to show an IDF commando pretty much executing a flotilla activist.

I'm not sure if it is real and accurate or not; it certainly appears to be. It's difficult to see what's going on, but it shows one of the commandos kicking somebody while they're down, and then possibly firing several rounds downward, presumably at the activist.

Cole believes it genuine; if it is, then it puts the lie to the claim that the commandos were only defending themselves.  If this is what it appears to be, it wasn't defense. It was cold-blooded murder.

Edit: Sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander. It looks like the IDF aren't the only ones playing edit games. Here's the full clip, from WarinContext:

There is a significant time gap that was glossed over by the edited "execution" video.  We cannot take the edited clip as given.

Still, I agree with WiC's take:

The truth behind what the video depicts will only become known if the soldiers involved face questioning and if all the existing video is made available to independent investigators. If the Israeli Defense Forces have nothing to hide, they should welcome an international inquiry.
There is enough evidence that contradicts the IDF party line to warrant a full and impartial investigation. Since there is no way that Israel's current hard-right government is going to undertake such an investigation, it must be international.

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