Israel punishes soldiers for aid workers' slayings, but do Israeli investigations spur change?
Hours after Israel killed seven staff members of a U.S.-based aid group in Gaza, drawing global outrage and an apology from the Israeli prime minister, the country's top military official promised a transparent and thorough investigation.
The Israeli airstrikes on a three-vehicle convoy carrying World Central Kitchen workers would be examined by an "independent body," said Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, chief of staff for the Israel Defense Forces. "It shouldn't have happened."
That "independent body" is an Israeli system led by the Military Advocate General, or MAG, the senior lawyers who oversee the conduct of war and other rule-of-law issues for the IDF.
Critics question whether a group with ties to the army can adequately investigate its actions.
The process also points to what human rights advocates say is a long track record of Israel promising to investigate its killings of civilians, but rarely rendering satisfactory results.
The World Central Kitchen attack is becoming the exception that proves the rule: Under extraordinary pressure from the U.S. and others, Israeli military officials announced Friday that two senior officers were being dismissed from their posts and three
