Set your sights on terrorists

Yet another heartbreaking story from Gaza. Three Israeli hostages manage to escape from captivity, and try to get back safely to Israel. They take off their shirts. One of them has a stick with a white flag. An Israeli soldier on a rooftop shouts “Terrorists!” and opens fire. Two of the three are killed immediately. The third runs into a building, where the soldiers pursue him. He’s pleading for help in Hebrew, but they shoot him anyway.

That’s three more casualties from this mess, but it’s also a stunning example of the mindset of the Israeli military - think self-defence, think shoot, think terrorist. Don’t question whether the person in front of you actually needs to be shot, just shoot them. Shirts off, white flag - what else were they supposed to do to show they weren’t a threat?

While Netanyahu sees this as a chance to campaign, and cling to corrupt power, nothing much is going to change. But whose job is it to tell him it’s time to go?