IDF Spokesperson March 23rd, 2009

The IDF Chief of the General Staff Refers to Claims Made at the Rabin
Preparation Center

The IDF Chief of the General Staff Delivers Speech to IDF Recruits

This morning, IDF Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi,
delivered a speech while visiting the Meitav base: "I've known the IDF for
many years, and as the person who accompanied the preparations for Operation
Cast Lead, briefed the commanders in the field, and is well aquatinted with
commanders and soldiers of the IDF, I tell you that this is a moral and
ideological army. I have no doubt that exceptional events will be taken care
of. My impression of the operation is that the IDF acts morally in the
highest way possible".

The Chief of the General Staff referred to the latest reports concerning IDF
soldiers' ethics and noted that the matter has been transferred to the
investigation of the Criminal Investigation Division of the IDF Military
Police. "I don't believe that soldiers serving in the IDF hurt civilians in
cold blood, but we shall wait for the results of the investigation. The IDF
is the most humane army in the world and operates according to the Spirit of
the IDF and high moral standards of fighting. Isolated cases, if found to
have taken place, will be dealt with individually. As the Chief of the
General Staff, I feel very proud to stand at the head of an army with such
commanders and soldiers. Immediately after the operation, and as part of an
existing tradition in the IDF, we carry out a thorough, professional process
of drawing conclusions and lessons learned. This is important in order for
us to operate correctly in the future.

We need to remember the war zone our soldiers had to face.

The Hamas chose, and not by chance, to fight in heavily populated areas,
turned neighborhoods into war zones, schools to terror outposts, and public
facilities into weapon and munitions storage facilities. The IDF's operation
was carried out inside populated areas and its mission was to fight those
who fire at Israel, which is why we operated in the structured areas. It is
a complex atmosphere that includes civilians and we took every measure
possible to reduce harm of the innocent. We scattered leaflets over the Gaza
Strip, warned civilians using the Arabic press to stay clear of the fighting
areas, called hundreds of thousands of homes and used warning shots as
well."

Addressing the issue of the release of Gilad Shalit the Chief of Staff
stated: "unfortunately Gilad has not returned to us yet. I see it as my
obligation as his commander and as the obligation of every commander in this
army to continue to operate for his return. Even at this hour, the efforts
to bring him back continue in every way possible and it is not right to
elaborate on the matter. Our mission is not complete until Gilad returns
home".