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From this morning's Washington Post:
The Israeli military forces were removing shrubbery in the border area and were approached by the protesters, according to a statement released by the military tonight. Troops ordered the demonstrators to move back, the statement said.
"An initial inquiry indicates that an Israeli bulldozer apparently accidentally ran over a protester," the statement continued, adding, "The windows of the bulletproof bulldozer are very small and the visibility is very limited, and the bulldozer operator did not see the woman." The military "expresses sorrow" and is investigating the incident, the statement said.
"It's possible they [the protesters] were not as disciplined as we would have liked," Thom Saffold, a founder and organizer of the International Solidarity Movement, said in a telephone interview from the group's base in Ann Arbor, Mich. "But we're like a peace army. Generals send young men and women off to operations, and some die."
It's obviously tragic when anyone dies in such circumstances, but it's worth noting two important points: (1) soldiers driving an armored bulldozer have limited visibility because of the narrow window, and (2) One of the ISM founders admits the protesters might not have been as disciplined in their protest as they should have been.
Additionally, most media reports failed to mention that the IDF bulldozer was looking for smuggling tunnels. Instead, reports described the house sympathetically as "the home of a Gazan doctor."
As Stoatie said, whatever her politics, may she rest in peace. |
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