B'Tselem and the Association for Civil Rights went to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Israeli army and the main military prosecutor to demand an investigation by military police.

Reports about the actions of 15 May are of most concern to the Israeli organizations specializing in Palestinian human rights.

The report exposes the account of Israeli officer Sharon who allegedly said, “In some cases to strike is an integral part of the job.” It includes excerpts from several Israelis whose testimonies before the military court showed a picture of the harsh use of violence against Palestinians in custody.

The harshest measures reported by Palestinians were not reported upon in this Israeli investigation.

It is clear from the testimonies that Israeli leaders did not accept the conclusion that they issued a mandate for the intensive use of violence and harmful means, including harassment and lethal force, against the civilian population. Instead they explained that they allowed the soldiers under their command to use direct physical violence against the population in order to "collect information from them" as part of the so-called "interrogation."

According to the report by an Israeli colonel who is part of the investigation, “The task is to try to destabilize the structure of the neighborhood, village or region, in order to obtain information… or to cause the enemy inside the village to commit errors in reaction to our troops. In this way, the work of the enemy can be exposed and obstructed. This strategy happens through several steps. The first step is for jeeps to quickly enter into the village, and in some cases the mere entry of vehicles to the village would be enough to confuse a person into thinking they are the intended target. It is the second step to use means of pressure, throw stun grenades, storm into homes or institutions, and the arrest a number of citizens and the seizure of land and the like [.....]".

The testimony of the report issued by the Israeli organizations specializing in Palestinian human rights, B’Tselem and ACRI, continues:

"While we are engaged in detention and investigation, we use the physical pressure appropriate for each person. This is a form of collective punishment, since the vast majority of cases are against an innocent population. This includes the use of barriers, operations combing an entire neighborhood and questioning people on the street [......] also through pushing and striking, which cause no direct injuries. These, of course, are the means we use to achieve a common task. We take into consideration the suspicions of subversive activity or disorder [..... ]."

"The search for the enemy could lead to the use of pressure on the innocent passer-by, as well as searching and creating a sense of threat of force for those on the roads. There is a difference between going to a village where there is no suspected threat and going to where the task has not been defined for you, where the use of aggression is common to any citizen of the village. "

On allowing the use of force, according to Lt. Col. Shimon, one of the Israeli officers reporting, the statement includes the following:

".... When questioning these people, they may be pushed onto a wall and blindfolded or put in constraints, and perhaps - and I am sure leaders consider this – soldiers will try beating them to obtain information.”

"There is no training and there is nothing in writing. You enter and talk with the population… In some cases – depending on the circumstances in the region where you are - you feel that you are left with no other choice. Sometimes, the only option to achieve your goal is the use of force."

These instructions, which call for the routine use of violence and various harmful measures including lethal means of attack against the civilian Palestinian population, make clear these Israeli instructions are illegal.

In the past there have been complaints made about this behavior, but they have been denied by the Israeli military.

In light of the enormity of the published statements, B'Tselem and the ACRI Chairman have called on the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Israeli army to open an immediate investigation by military police. Quoted Israeli soldiers, including Lieutenant Colonel Shimon, are to guide the investigation into whether the orders had been issued from other leaders. In addition, the organizations have called on the Chief of Staff to ensure the eradication of the publications bearing these orders for soldiers conducting military operations in the West Bank.