‘Uncivilised’ Israeli soldiers ‘out of control’ newly released official files show

In new revelations that further undermine Israel’s claim to possess the “most moral army” in the world, the country’s armed forces were slammed as “uncivilised” by Tony Blair’s government during a major military incursion into the occupied West Bank in 2002, according to newly released official files from the National Archives.

The documents reveal the growing frustration of Western allies at the mounting Palestinian death toll as the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) besieged the headquarters of Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat during what Israeli’s called Operation Defensive Shield.

British Ambassador, Sherard Cowper-Coles, in a tense meeting with Israeli Foreign Policy Adviser, Danny Ayalon, warned that the offensive was a “major strategic mistake” undermining support for Israel among its allies. “If some of the reports we were receiving were credible, the IDF’s behaviour was more worthy of the Russian army than that of a supposedly civilised country,” Cowper-Coles is reported saying.

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The Ambassador further described Israeli soldiers as being “out of control and committing acts which were outraging international opinion.” He cited an example of Israeli troops broadcasting pornographic videos on Palestinian television, knowing it would deeply offend devout Muslims.

These revelations take on added significance in light of Israel’s current military offensive in Gaza, where it is under investigation by the International Court of Justice for alleged genocide. The description of Israeli forces as “out of control” and engaging in behaviour unworthy of a civilised country echoes current criticisms of Israel’s actions in Gaza. More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since 7 October, the overwhelming majority of whom are women and children.

US President George Bush is also reported to have expressed frustration with Israeli actions in a private call with Blair. “The Israelis were trying to fight a 21st century war with 20th century techniques. Sending tanks into alleyways was simply a PR disaster,” Bush complained.

Tanks have been deployed in Israel’s latest offensive, which has damaged or destroyed approximately 62 per cent of all homes in Gaza and the displacement of nearly the entire 2.2 million population of the besieged enclave. Schools, hospitals, refugee shelters have been targeted in what many say is a war of annihilation.

A British officer who had observed IDF operations in the Occupied Territories before Operation Defensive Shield provided a scathing assessment, describing the Israeli army as “A second-rate, ill-disciplined, swaggering and bullying force.” He noted, “They routinely use excessive force such as firing at the ‘legs’ of stone throwers or at ‘car tyres’ with the inevitable steady stream of ambulances ferrying youths to hospital with fatal bullet wounds to the head and body.”

The tensions described in these documents bear eerie parallels to current Western concerns over Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip. The critique of Israeli military conduct in 2002, coming from a government typically seen as supportive of Israel, underscores the long-standing nature of concerns about the tactics of the Israeli army and their impact on civilian populations.

As Israel faces international scrutiny for its current actions in Gaza, these historical documents provide a sobering context, suggesting that criticisms of Israeli military conduct are not new, but part of a pattern that has persisted for decades, challenging Israel’s self-portrayal as a force of unparalleled moral restraint in warfare.

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