The New York Times · 18 May 2001

CP-2001-048

Israelis Tell of Army Mistake In Killings of 5 Palestinians

By DEBORAH SONTAG

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Transcribed from the clipping

JERUSALEM, May 17 — An internal Israeli Army investigation has determined that the killing of five Palestinian security men earlier this week was a deadly mistake, Yossi Sarid, the Israeli opposition leader, said today. Mr. Sarid urged the army chief of staff, Lt. Gen.

Shaul Mofaz, to publish the investigation’s findings soon, publicly own up to the error and punish those responsible. He said, “Mofaz is the one to bring such matters to justice, even if it means paying an uncomfortable price.”

Israeli officials said that an intelligence mistake led to the killing of the wrong five Palestinians in an ambush on Monday of a checkpoint in Beituniya in the West Bank. It was a case of “mistaken identity,” said Raanan Gissen, spokesman for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Israeli troops meant to attack members of a different Palestinian security unit, Force 17, whom they held responsible for shootings from that area on an Israeli bypass road, said Uzi Landau, the security minister. But they did not realize that there had been a changing of the guard at the Palestinian checkpoint, Mr. Landau said, speaking during a visit to New York.

So, in the middle of the night, the Israeli troops shot dead five Palestinians who were not implicated in any attacks on Israel. Palestinian officials said that the Israeli premise that the Beituniya guard post was a launching pad for attacks on Israeli cars was false.

Hazem Abu Shamla, captain of the security forces in the area, said there had never been “a single bullet” fired from the post — a tin shack.

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