By Amos Harel | HaaretzWhile the Israel Defense Forces continue to maintain that the soldiers who shot and wounded demonstrator Gil Na'amati at the separation fence near Masha failed to realize that the demonstrators were Israeli, many ordinary civilians - and not necessarily "leftists" - are convinced the army is lying. That gap in perceptions should worry the IDF.
As in the case of the bombing of the Nusseirat refugee camp last October, the army's credibility is now at stake. Many of those who watched the videotapes of the Masha incident made by the anarchist group came to the conclusion that the soldier fired in cold blood, knowing full well that the target on the other side of the fence was an Israeli.
There is, of course, a moral problem with the expectation that the rules of engagement should be different for Israelis and Palestinians, even when the situations are similar. It appears to be racial discrimination. But in practice, given that the most important element of the open-fire orders is the judgment of the commander in the field, it is clear that Israeli demonstrators pose less of a threat as far as the soldiers are concerned. Despite mounting extremism, it is difficult to assume that an Israeli leftist would open fire at an IDF soldier - something that has happened during all-Palestinian demonstrations. The demonstrator seen in the video shouting "we are your neighbors" was also aware of that.