Ex-Israeli pilot: 'Our army is a terrorist organisation run by war criminals'
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A former Israeli Air Force pilot, Yonatan Shapira, has described the Israeli government and army as "terrorist organisations" run by "war criminals."
Captain Shapira who had resigned from the Israeli army in 2003 at the height of the Palestinian Second Intifada explained in an exclusive interview with Anadolu News Agency why he realized after joining the army that he was "part of a terrorist organisation".
I realised during the Second Intifada what the Israeli Air Force and Israeli military are doing are war crimes, terrorising a population of millions of Palestinians. When I realised that, I decided to not just leave but to organise other pilots that will publicly refuse to take part in these crimes,
he said.
"As a child in Israel, you are being brought up in very strong Zionist militaristic education. You don't know almost anything about Palestine, you don't know about the 1948 Nakba, you don't know about ongoing oppression," Shapira said.
Ever since leaving the Israeli army, Shapira has launched a campaign that encouraged other military members to disobey orders to attack Palestinians.
The campaign has led 27 other army pilots to be discharged from their posts in the Israeli Air Force since 2003.
In the last week, Israeli warplanes have waged hundreds of airstrikes against the Palestinian civilians in the besieged Gaza Strip, killing at least 188 Palestinians including 55 children and 33 women and wounding 1,230 people.
Courtesy: www.middleeastmonitor.com
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Vitla police seize vehicle transporting cattle illegally
Vitla: Vitla Sub-inspector Ramakrishna has seized a vehicle that was allegedly transporting cattle illegally at Karai of Kolnadu village in Bantwal taluk. Two men in the vehicle, identified as Naveen and Chethan of Mandya, have reportedly been subjected to police questioning.
Police sources have said that the SI saw a vehicle transporting two cows and parked by the road. When he questioned the driver Naveen and Chethan, who were in the vehicle, about the cattle, he was told by the duo that the cows belonged to one Shankar, a resident of Channarayapatna. The men also told the SI that Shankar was supplying the cattle to a man in Salettur, identified as Shafi, allegedly for beef production.
Further, Naveen and Chethan confessed before the officer that they had gotten the cattle transport permit in others’ names, the sources have added.
