Lital Shemesh, an Israeli commentator, argued Wednesday evening that the IDF must change its rules of engagement following the deadly Kfar Tel attack and the military's investigation into the incident, according to her remarks posted on social media.
Wednesday evening, commentator Lital Shemesh called for the IDF to change its rules of engagement in the wake of the deadly Kfar Tel attack and the military investigation released earlier today. Her remarks, posted on social media, describe the probe's findings as a severe test for the military and reflect growing public and political pressure for a shift in operational doctrine in Judea and Samaria.
The IDF investigation, published Wednesday morning, concluded that the rules of engagement were clear and permitted lethal force, but identified significant operational failures: the responding force was too small, a full situational picture was not formed, and during the evacuation of Maj. Yuval Ezra, Staff Sgt. (res.) Binyahu Melat lay wounded in the field for several minutes, treated by a civilian medic without military presence. The probe also stated it could not determine whether Melat was killed by terrorist fire or by friendly fire from troops neutralizing the assailants. Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir accepted the findings.
The July 24 attack near Kfar Tel in Samaria killed Maj. Yuval Ezra and Staff Sgt. (res.) Binyahu Melat. In the aftermath, Israel's Attorney General approved a demolition order for the terrorist's home, as The Zioneer reported on Aug 2. Days after the attack, commentator Hillel Bitton Rosen called on the political echelon to order intensive fighting in Judea and Samaria, underscoring the security debate that has followed the incident.
The question of whether Melat was killed by friendly fire remains unresolved. Shemesh's call for a change in rules of engagement adds to the discourse but does not resolve the operational ambiguity that the investigation left open.
6 developments
- DevelopingMK Milwitsky demands overhaul of IDF rules of engagement after Havat Gilad attack
- StrongBismuth demands review of IDF rules of engagement after terror attack, citing poor IDF performance
- StrongIDF orders all central command soldiers to remain on base after deadly Tell attack
- DevelopingLital Shemesh slams Drucker for calling convicted terrorist an 'important player'
Source and signal
- Open-source intake