Israel’s top military commander formally acknowledged on Wednesday that its military had made a “grave mistake” and apologized for the attack on an aid convoy that killed seven workers from the charity group World Central Kitchen, a rare admission of fault by Israel in the six-month-old war in the Gaza Strip.
“It was a mistake that followed a misidentification, at night, during the war, in a very complex condition,” the Israeli military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, said in a video. “It shouldn’t have happened.”
General Halevi’s mea culpa marked a change in tone from Israel’s military, which throughout the war has largely rejected criticism of its actions by arguing that it was doing what was necessary to defeat Hamas. It came as many of Israel’s closest allies voiced indignation and demanded explanations for the attack.
“Incidents like yesterday’s simply should not happen,” he said in a statement.
And David Cameron, the British foreign secretary, called the workers’ deaths “completely unacceptable,” saying in a statement that “Israel must urgently explain how this happened and make major changes to ensure the safety of aid workers.”
The World Central Kitchen workers — a Palestinian, an Australian, a Pole, three Britons and a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen — were traveling in clearly marked cars after leaving a warehouse in Deir al Balah, in central Gaza, when their convoy came under fire late Monday, the organization said in a statement. The Israeli military had been informed of the workers’ movements, the charity said.
@AnxiousS0cialistGreen2mos2MO
Chef Andres founded World Central Kitchen to feed hungry people after the 2010 Haiti earthquake. WCK has since served people during and after disasters many other countries, including Gaza. The IDF purposely murdered several of WCK’s aid workers, in three separate strikes to pick off survivors trying to escape. Chef Andres’ expressed his grief and outrage over this crime, and all these execrable human scum can do is call him an antisemite.
Chef Andres joined up with the Slave Master of Libya, Samantha Powers.
Or do you not know what the NED is lmfao.
@AnxiousS0cialistGreen2mos2MO
Who should he have joined up with if he wanted to serve meals in Libya?
@Pr0p0rtionalChloeSocialist2mos2MO
At this rate, "blood libel" will become another phrase people roll their eyes at and ignore by next Tuesday
It's not just younger generations of liberals and Democrats who are turning against Israel and US financing of it, but also younger Republicans and conservatives.
It seems clear that Israel cares far less about Western public opinion than before, but this will extract costs.
@9KY6LGG2mos2MO
I could be called a "younger conservative" (though I heavily lean libertarian). I don't oppose Israel because I think what it's doing to defend the rights of its people against TERRORISTS is wrong, but because, out of principle, I support Thomas Jefferson and George Washington's policy of "peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with non," and am I non-interventionist and advocate of peace.
@F3deralistWeaselGreen2mos2MO
There is a difference between defending yourself and indiscriminate killing of civilians. Aka, war crimes.
The Netanyahu regime now pulling off the rare feat of violating both the Geneva Conventions and the Vienna Convention—at the same time. You're living through history, folks.
This morning began with the revelation of Israel’s gruesome Shifa Hospital massacre.
A few hours later, Israel bombed a diplomatic compound - an embassy - in Syria.
Tonight it has murdered several foreign aid workers in an airstrike on their car in Gaza.
@GerrymanderUrchinUnity2mos2MO
Why follow international law when you can just do whatever the **** you want?
This is probably the first time Biden has personally called someone who knew victims of Israeli attacks and there's a reason for that. Jose Andres is a prominent figure in D.C. culture and Democratic Party circles. He's not an Arab American whose cousin was sniped.
@PacifistPaellaGreen2mos2MO
Also, by "make clear to Israel it must protect aid workers", everyone on the planet understood that to mean "We encourage Israel to treat aid workers like enemy fighters and murder them. We agree with them that feeding Palestinian children is an act of war."
@MusselSkylarDemocrat2mos2MO
Israel killed +170 humanitarian UN workers before "mistakenly" killing those WCK in 3 separate surgical airstrikes on 3 separate vehicles!
At this rate of "mistakes", either the IDF is so grossly incompetent & criminally negligent or they're indiscriminately carpet bombing Gaza!
@ISIDEWITH2mos2MO
Do you believe a military should be held to the same standards of accountability as civilians when errors result in loss of innocent lives?
@9L9X7WJ2mos2MO
To me, It depends on the error, yes, it is war, but if it was an error done on purpose. Then they deserve accountability, if the error was on accident without any conscious, or reason, or if it wasn’t their fault, but an error of the weapon itself. Then they should not take accountability but instead strict discipline inside training.
@9L9VQW92mos2MO
yes that's why we have warcrimes our military officials can serve and should serve a same fate
@ISIDEWITH2mos2MO
If you were in charge, what changes would you implement to ensure the safety of aid workers in war-torn areas?
There’s an ambiguity in the different response to this vs say UNRWA in that it could be naked racism but could also be institutional power and connectedness, a factor certainly nobody has ever thought to link to racism
@VetoTaylorSocialist2mos2MO
Its wild how the US is approving all of this.
They are about to send further weapons & arms.
Israel wants to bring End-times, what other reason would they keep poking the hornets nest around them?? They will never accept a two-state solution and the Arabs will approve of one less and less over time.
@DelegateChuckSocialist2mos2MO
3 hits
On 3 cars
All marked as aid cars
Over a 2.4km stretch
On designated routes for aid
Every strike required approval
Facts matter.
@ISIDEWITH2mos2MO
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