New IDF Rules Call For 8 Weeks’ Counseling Before Opening Fire

Four of the counselors are in Bnei Brak.

Credit: MathKnight, Wikimedia Commons

Tel Aviv, March 28 – In the wake of an incident in which an IDF soldier allegedly shot and killed a Palestinian attacker who had already been incapacitated, the Israeli military has developed new Rules of Engagement to forestall a recurrence, including a mandatory eight weeks of counseling with a certified therapist before a soldier is allowed to fire on an assailant.

Late last week a soldier on duty in Hebron was filmed shooting a wounded stabber in the head, and faces a criminal investigation. As Israeli society convulses with rhetoric for and against the soldier’s apparent actions, the IDF itself has already issued revamped procedures to instill extra care and caution in its personnel so that, with the help of a qualified professional, a soldier can determine whether he is, in fact, convinced he would be better off pulling the trigger.

Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Gadi Eizenkot announced the publication of the new ROEs Monday, and said they will be implemented immediately. “It is of crucial importance during this ongoing wave of stabbing terrorism that our soldiers be absolutely sure not only that the situation warrants the discharging of a weapon from a strictly military or personal safety standpoint, but that the soldier in question be emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually prepared to face the consequences of doing so,” explained General Eizenkot. “From now on, when faced with armed terrorists, our combatants will be required to undergo eight one-hour sessions of counseling, one session per week, and only then to open or return fire.”

Minister of Defense Moshe Yaalon provided reporters with a list of the seven therapists certified for work in the relevant counseling arena. “Four of the counselors are in Bnei Brak,” a mostly-Haredi city near Tel Aviv. “Of the other three, one is in Haifa, one in Ashkelon, and one in Eilat.” Yaalon said his office is working to identify and approve counselors in other parts of the country, such as Safed and Beersheva. The vast majority of the attacks have taken place in or near Hebron and other Palestinian population centers in Judea and Samaria, as well as Jerusalem.

“The IDF remains the most moral army in the world, but that does not mean we rest on our laurels in that regard,” added Yaalon. “We aim to set a new standard for care in our Rules of Engagement.”

Telephone calls to the various therapists on the Ministry of Defense list revealed that the earliest appointment available for soldiers is late May.