IDF Snipers: Choosing Who to Shoot

Shenfield cites that snipers constitute about a quarter of all soldiers in the Israeli Defense Force's combat units. The standard course for the training of snipers lasts five weeks. The best snipers, however, are Russian immigrants who fought in Chechnya. The open fire regulations, especially in their current form, mandate the shooting not only of armed but also of unarmed individuals who have been assigned to certain categories. One such category is the "main inciter" who "inflames" those around him. Permissive as the regulations may be, it is doubtful whether, for instance, they allow the shooting of medical personnel wearing distinctive uniforms and holding their hands up like the nurse Razan al-Najjar. Many killings lack even the most tenuous security rationale.