Time: Yesterday (Monday) evening, 6:50 PM.
Location: Chawara IDF Checkpoint, Road 60
IDF Unit: Nachal Brigade
Situation: Routine checks on Palestinian population for weapons.
The following is based on a radio interview this morning on IDF radio (Galei Tzahal) between the checkpoint commander and Radio interviewer, Razi Barkai.
The checkpoint commander is a 22 year old officer from the Nachal Brigade -- his unit took over the checkpoint for the first time yesterday. Corporal Michal Ya'akov, from the IDF military police is also assigned to the checkpoint. The checkpoint commander said the following incident lasted 8 seconds.
Start your clock now
A "16 year old" (that's about how old he looked) Palestinian approaches the IDF checkpoint.
1 second
Michal notices "he seems very nervous...was looking from side to side....his shirt looked bulky."
2 seconds
He goes through the metal detector and it beeps. Michal asks what is under his shirt.
3 seconds
He raises his shirt, displaying 3 pipe bombs strapped to it.
4 seconds
Michal yells out, "Explosives in the Checkpoint", and all soldiers immediately follow the protocol for a terrorist at the checkpoint. The checkpoint commander, about 10 feet away, instinctively chambers a round into his M16 and aims it at the youth's head.
5 seconds
Michal yells at the Palestinian youth to keep his hands high over his head.
6 seconds
His hands waver.
7 seconds
He lowers his hands towards the pipe bombs strapped to his chest.
The checkpoint commander fires, shooting the terrorist directly in the head.
8 seconds
The terrorist starts to fall to the ground, with his hands still reaching for the pipe bomb. Checkpoint commander fires another 3 rounds into the terrorist's head -- taking special care not to shoot at the body of the terrorist, but only the head, to prevent the pipe bombs from exploding.
Final Result; One Dead Terrorist. No injuries to IDF soldiers. No terror attack against Israelis.
Eight Seconds; it could have ended very differently.
For an article with slightly less accuracy than the above post (based directly on the radio interview with the checkpoint commander), here's the way YNET reported it.
Location: Chawara IDF Checkpoint, Road 60
IDF Unit: Nachal Brigade
Situation: Routine checks on Palestinian population for weapons.
The following is based on a radio interview this morning on IDF radio (Galei Tzahal) between the checkpoint commander and Radio interviewer, Razi Barkai.
The checkpoint commander is a 22 year old officer from the Nachal Brigade -- his unit took over the checkpoint for the first time yesterday. Corporal Michal Ya'akov, from the IDF military police is also assigned to the checkpoint. The checkpoint commander said the following incident lasted 8 seconds.
Start your clock now
A "16 year old" (that's about how old he looked) Palestinian approaches the IDF checkpoint.
1 second
Michal notices "he seems very nervous...was looking from side to side....his shirt looked bulky."
2 seconds
He goes through the metal detector and it beeps. Michal asks what is under his shirt.
3 seconds
He raises his shirt, displaying 3 pipe bombs strapped to it.
4 seconds
Michal yells out, "Explosives in the Checkpoint", and all soldiers immediately follow the protocol for a terrorist at the checkpoint. The checkpoint commander, about 10 feet away, instinctively chambers a round into his M16 and aims it at the youth's head.
5 seconds
Michal yells at the Palestinian youth to keep his hands high over his head.
6 seconds
His hands waver.
7 seconds
He lowers his hands towards the pipe bombs strapped to his chest.
The checkpoint commander fires, shooting the terrorist directly in the head.
8 seconds
The terrorist starts to fall to the ground, with his hands still reaching for the pipe bomb. Checkpoint commander fires another 3 rounds into the terrorist's head -- taking special care not to shoot at the body of the terrorist, but only the head, to prevent the pipe bombs from exploding.
Final Result; One Dead Terrorist. No injuries to IDF soldiers. No terror attack against Israelis.
Eight Seconds; it could have ended very differently.
For an article with slightly less accuracy than the above post (based directly on the radio interview with the checkpoint commander), here's the way YNET reported it.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
It's a good thing the Machsom Witches weren't there to block the soldier from shooting the terrorist.
ReplyDeleteDitto what joesettler said.
ReplyDeleteIt's no wonder that Women In Green nicknamed its Machsom-Watch Watch as Fifth-Column Watch.
i will not assume from this post that you are in favor of giyus banos!
ReplyDelete1) Kol hakavod to the soldiers
ReplyDelete2) I was actually thinking, if I am ever independently wealthy, of volunteering with Machsom Watch. You hear so much blather from both sides...I would like to see things with my own eyes.
And no, I do not hate our soldiers. They are the guys who allow me to sit back and enjoy my Tel Aviv hedonistic existence in peace and quiet!
i have to say, this nauseated me from all sides. the fact that a 16-year-old boy -- BOY! -- would be strapped up to explode himself and everyone around him (yes, i know this is not new, i do live here), the fact that the only way to stop him was to shoot him, the fact that even after he was shot he still tried to detonate himself (i cannot even imagine the level of hate inculcated into this child), the fact that the soldiers needed to shoot again point-blank to kill, the fact that our precious children, our soldiers (who for the most part are themselves children), will probably relive this incident over and over for a very long time, the fact that they need to do this... i could go on.
ReplyDeletewhen i, as a mother, remember that my most very favorite kissing spot on my children is their heads... this whole story is just so -- upsetting isn't even the word.
That's the thing that makes this kind of call so incredibly difficult, isn't it? No time to waste, no second chances.
ReplyDeleteThank God it ended so well this time.
Earth is home to some crazy types of people. Its sick that Israel is condemned for killing palestinians while they send their kids to blow themselves up!
ReplyDeleteThis soldier was very fortunate that kid didnt detonate himself even after being shot. This would've been another news story on CNN..