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The Israeli army has changed its rules for firing on occupied West Bank lands, allowing troops to fire on Palestinian protesters who throw stones and other weapons at civilians or vehicles, even if they do not pose an immediate threat.
The new policy was reportedly implemented a month ago for the Israeli military but was not made public.
An army spokesman confirmed it today to the Times of Israel after reports of new fire rules began appearing on social media.
Under the new rules, soldiers can follow the full protocol of arrest and detention by fire if Palestinians throw stones or drop Molotov cocktails at vehicles, even in cases where the subject has no items in hand.
Soldiers were previously allowed to fire in the ‘arrest attempt’ when the perpetrator was committing the act of dropping a stone or artillery bomb with fire.
An army spokesman said the amendments were needed so that those responsible “do not shirk responsibility for their actions”.
But he clarified that the troops are required to make a verbal warning and shoot in the air before using “deadly force”.
The spokesman added that arrest “preferably” without the use of weapons is “preferred” again.
The changes have been questioned by legal experts, especially for the part of the use of fire on a suspect who is running away.
Former local military prosecutor Liron Libman told the Times that “A person leaving is not a threat” so the use of a weapon should only be a last resort.
Eliav Lieblich, a law professor at Tel Aviv University, says the new rules run counter to international conflict resolution as there is no active conflict in the West Bank.
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