Israel – An Israeli soldier has provoked an outcry by publishing a photograph that appeared to show the back of a Palestinian boy’s head seen through the crosshairs of a rifle.
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Israel’s army said on Tuesday it would hold an investigation into the conduct of the soldier, who posted the picture on the online photo-sharing website Instagram.
Israeli media identified the soldier as a 20-year-old conscript serving in the occupied West Bank.
Palestinian officials, who want the West Bank as part of a future state, condemned the publication of the photograph, saying it showed Israeli forces believed they could act with impunity.
“Every Palestinian mother is concerned for her child … because of the picture that is now known and seen worldwide,” said Palestinian government spokeswoman Nour Odeh on Tuesday.
It was not possible to verify independently whether the photo was taken in the West Bank – territory Israel captured in a 1967 war – or whether the person in it was Palestinian.
The Israeli military said the soldier’s commanders had been notified and the issue would be dealt with.
“The picture in question does not coincide with IDF’s (Israeli Defence Forces) values or code of ethics,” the military said in a statement.
Israeli soldiers have been sentenced to jail time in the past for posting images of themselves posing beside Palestinian detainees.
I enhanced the image. The boy looks Jewish too me.
Should have taken the shot with the gun not with a camera
Too bad that Israelis today do not all have a sense of discretion and diplomacy. Not to mention humanity as that is lacking in anyone who glorifies a blood loss situation.
Creepy image. Ostrovski should be discharged or worse.
My first time commenting in over a year… Obviously that is photo shopped. Around the scope there are buildings and in the scope there is a grassy area. I’m amazed that world is jumping to criticize Israel without noticing the simplest of things. What’s sadder is, is that the Israelis are actually “investigating”.
Only difference between us and them is that the palinazis would pull the trigger
The difference is that if it was the other way around with a jewish kid in the sights of a Palestinian terrorist the kid would probably be dead. And shouldn’t this soldier receive some journalist award for this picture? It says an amazing story all by itself
“IDF soldier Mor Ostrovski”, a.k.a. Palestinian blogger Ali Abunimah, blogging from his mother’s basement in his underwear.
This looks so photoshopped. The image in the scope and left side of the pic is the same, right side is a farther pic of the city. So obviously fake! And of course the media is buying it! What else is new….
As a photo , I think its a beautiful shot
For al the typically paranoid posters above who think this is photoshopped or that the IDF soldier is really an Arab blogger, etc: Can’t you read??? The soldier has a name. The IDF is investigating. If no IDF soldier by that name existed, there would be no story and the IDF would have instantly dismissed it. As far as the argument that this was photoshopped, anyone who makes it knows nothing about long-rnge lense, cross hairs, etc.
“Every Palestinian mother is concerned for her child … because of the picture that is now known and seen worldwide,” said Palestinian government spokeswoman Nour Odeh on Tuesday.”
the concern is that her child might not grow up to be a suicide bomber.
OK, so it is photoshopped. So that just means an Israeli soldier thinks it is a good idea to make a pretend photo of a child being targeted. Well, then, that makes it OK. After all we are engaged in a struggle for world public opinion. No way this could hurt that, right?
Who cares about the “other way around”? Why do the foolish Jews on this website always want to compare Jewish bad behavior with, “had it been the other way”??? Don’t you idiots believe that we have higher standards then “the others”?? This is a despicable act of a very foolish soldier.
The photo is reprehensible, and does not comport with Jewish values. However, why isn’t there a similar outcry among the Arab populace, when their newspapers routinely publish photos of Jews with big noses, who are scheming to use the blood of Arab children to make Matzah. These sort of defamatory caricatures are ROUTINELY published, without anyone protesting. Also, what about the photos of very young Arab children, dressed up as suicide bombers? I guess that when the shoe is on the other foot, and Jews are the intended victims, that the other side could care less; perhaps, they are being “politically correct”?
Beside the fact that this is still being investigated, who wrote this article? Any time I hear the words “occupied territories” the author/speaker is a Palestinian sympathizer.
In response to all the protests of comment #2 – myself I say reference Rashi in Shemos where he references killing all the Egyptians since none of them are worth anything as seen by even the G-d fearing Egyptians who saved their horses during the plagues later used them to pursue the Jews as they fled; and yes if someone comes to kill you you kill them, ie all the Arabs, also this is our land if they want to live they can leave.
Not at all. I am an English teacher here and have been for sixteen years. (How did that happen?) But I do not wish to misrepresent myself. I am interested in Jewish culture, but I am not a Jew.
I want to be clear about that in the event anyone in the future says I misrepresented myself.
There are a handful of Jews here however.