Israel paves the way for killing by remote control

[Sarahli]

Israel paves the way for killing by remote control

Jonathan Cook, Foreign Correspondent
Last Updated: July 13. 2010 7:12PM UAE / July 13. 2010 3:12PM GMT

NAZARETH // It is called Spot and Shoot. Operators sit in front of a TV monitor from which they can control the action with a PlayStation-style joystick.

The aim: to kill.

Played by: young women serving in the Israeli army.

Spot and Shoot, as it is called by the Israeli military, may look like a video game but the figures on the screen are real people – Palestinians in Gaza – who can be killed with the press of a button on the joystick.

The female soldiers, located far away in an operations room, are responsible for aiming and firing remote-controlled machine-guns mounted on watch-towers every few hundred metres along an electronic fence that surrounds Gaza.

The system is one of the latest “remote killing” devices developed by Israel’s Rafael armaments company, the former weapons research division of the Israeli army and now a separate governmental firm.

According to Giora Katz, Rafael’s vice president, remote-controlled military hardware such as Spot and Shoot is the face of the future. He expects that within a decade at least a third of the machines used by the Israeli army to control land, air and sea will be unmanned.

The demand for such devices, the Israeli army admits, has been partly fuelled by a combination of declining recruitment levels and a population less ready to risk death in combat.

Oren Berebbi, head of its technology branch, recently told an American newspaper: “We’re trying to get to unmanned vehicles everywhere on the battlefield … We can do more and more missions without putting a soldier at risk.”

Rapid progress with the technology has raised alarm at the United Nations. Philip Alston, its special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, warned last month of the danger that a “PlayStation mentality to killing” could quickly emerge.

According to analysts, however, Israel is unlikely to turn its back on hardware that it has been at the forefront of developing – using the occupied Palestinian territories, and especially Gaza, as testing laboratories.

Remotely controlled weapons systems are in high demand from repressive regimes and the burgeoning homeland security industries around the globe.

“These systems are still in the early stages of development but there is a large and growing market for them,” said Shlomo Brom, a retired general and defence analyst at the Institute of National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University.

The Spot and Shoot system – officially known as Sentry Tech – has mostly attracted attention because it is operated by 19- and 20-year-old female soldiers, making it the Israeli army’s only weapons system operated exclusively by women.

Female soldiers are preferred to operate remote killing devices because of a shortage of male recruits to Israel’s combat units. Young women can carry out missions without breaking the social taboo of risking their lives, said Mr Brom.

The women are supposed to identify anyone suspicious approaching the fence around Gaza and, if authorised by an officer, execute them using their joysticks.

The Israeli army, which plans to introduce the technology along Israel’s other confrontation lines, refuses to say how many Palestinians have been killed by the remotely controlled machine-guns in Gaza. According to the Israeli media, however, it is believed to be several dozen.

The system was phased-in two years ago for surveillance, but operators were only able to open fire with it more recently. The army admitted using Sentry Tech in December to kill at least two Palestinians several hundred metres inside the fence.

The Haaretz newspaper, which was given rare access to a Sentry Tech control room, quoted one soldier, Bar Keren, 20, last week saying: “It’s very alluring to be the one to do this. But not everyone wants this job. It’s no simple matter to take up a joystick like that of a Sony PlayStation and kill, but ultimately it’s for defence.”

Audio sensors on the towers mean that the women hear the shot as it kills the target. No woman, Haaretz reported, had failed the task of shooting what the army calls an “incriminated” Palestinian.

The Israeli military, which enforces an unmarked no-man’s land inside the fence that reaches as deep as 300 metres into the tiny enclave, has been widely criticised for opening fire on civilians entering the closed zone.

Rafael is reported to be developing a version of Sentry Tech that will fire long-range guided missiles.

Another piece of hardware recently developed for the Israeli army is the Guardium, an armoured robot-car that can patrol territory at up to 80km per hour, navigate through cities, launch “ambushes” and shoot at targets. It now patrols the Israeli borders with Gaza and Lebanon.

Its Israeli developers, G-Nius, have called it the world’s first “robot soldier”.

But Israel is most known for its role in developing “unmanned aerial vehicles” – or drones, as they have come to be known. Originally intended for spying, and first used by Israel over south Lebanon in the early 1980s, today they are increasingly being used for extrajudicial executions from thousands of feet in the sky.

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[CantGetEnoughMJ]

THis is pure evil.  I can just see this kind of technology spilling over into the US and other countries, if it hasn't already and we don't know about it yet.  What has this world come to, and what's wrong with those people.  That's just cold-blooded murder.  What are the requisites for deeming a Palestinian around the gate as "incriminating" or suspicious.  It could be an unarmed child, for all we know.  

And what the hell does this sentence mean: "Young women can carry out missions without breaking the social taboo of risking their lives, said Mr Brom."  Does that mean it's only a social taboo for MEN to risk their lives, but it's okay for women to risk their lives?  

I am outraged over this whole thing!!!

[jacilovesmichael]

Wow. Can't say I'm surprised which is unfortunate.

[MissG]

This is horrible.
Why not putting money in helping people, bulding schools, creating fields or covering free medical care?

Pure evil. Soon nobody can walk in the streets without being paranoid to get shot.

what´s happening to the world?

This is no self defence, this is license to kill by making it legal and "necessary".

I hope the news are not true, I do really hope that.

[VeryLittleSusie]

They can virtually kill anybody in the world... Whomever they choose...

[liegi]

This is sick, really sick.

[Sarahli]

This is horrible.
Why not putting money in helping people, bulding schools, creating fields or covering free medical care?

Pure evil. Soon nobody can walk in the streets without being paranoid to get shot.

what´s happening to the world?

This is no self defence, this is license to kill by making it legal and "necessary".

I hope the news are not true, I do really hope that.

I fear that it is true. If dogs were treated the way the Palestinians are by Israel in the U.S. there would be an uprising. This world is really sick and it really makes me wanna scream.

[tabloidburn]

germany is still paying reparations to israel, more than 60 yrs after world war II. not peanuts, but millions! this is what they do with the money they're getting from german tax payers (like me), the present generation, that has nothing to do with what nazi germany did. we are a completely different ppl now. what you saw in the world cup, the german team, is a 1:1 representative of today's germans: mixed and matched! and we're happy with that, except for the few stupid ones that still show up on the international news, yelling nazi paroles. those are not representative of the german ppl.
but if you dare say anything, like: could we maybe stop paying the israel government and just pay the ppl individually, those who were actually affected by the holocaust and their families? you dare say that, you're being called a nazi and 'ugly german' all over again. and the german jewish association will take that on the political level. guess they gotta make sure that money flow won't stop. and germany is so embarrassed by its nazi past that they won't argue and keep paying.
germany takes ca. 1/3 of your salary as taxes, this is one recipient of the collected money and now they do what they get reparations for - killing people for no reason.

now i'm mad... :evil:

[Sarahli]

germany is still paying reparations to israel, more than 60 yrs after world war II. not peanuts, but millions! this is what they do with the money they're getting from german tax payers (like me), the present generation, that has nothing to do with what nazi germany did. we are a completely different ppl now. what you saw in the world cup, the german team, is a 1:1 representative of today's germans: mixed and matched! and we're happy with that, except for the few stupid ones that still show up on the international news, yelling nazi paroles. those are not representative of the german ppl.
but if you dare say anything, like: could we maybe stop paying the israel government and just pay the ppl individually, those who were actually affected by the holocaust and their families? you dare say that, you're being called a nazi and 'ugly german' all over again. and the german jewish association will take that on the political level. guess they gotta make sure that money flow won't stop. and germany is so embarrassed by its nazi past that they won't argue and keep paying.
germany takes ca. 1/3 of your salary as taxes, this is one recipient of the collected money and now they do what they get reparations for - killing people for no reason.

now i'm mad... :evil:

To have been many times in Munich I can say that German people are very friendly. Medias love to put the magnifying glass on a minority of bad people if it can serve the agenda. They are bad and good people in all countries.

Israel receives a lot of money from foreign countries and from the USA particularly. A lot of money is apparently commited to the killing industry.

I didn't know that you still have to pay for what happened. It's unfair because how do we know where the money goes ? And the victims do not necessarily live in Israel. Looks like it's a debt with no end that the German people have on their backs. I hate the reaction of certain people who treat you to be anti-semitic if you dare to criticize the country's policies. It's like a magic word. They just have to say it and people have no more rights to speak.

[MissG]

germany is still paying reparations to israel, more than 60 yrs after world war II. not peanuts, but millions! this is what they do with the money they're getting from german tax payers (like me), the present generation, that has nothing to do with what nazi germany did. we are a completely different ppl now. what you saw in the world cup, the german team, is a 1:1 representative of today's germans: mixed and matched! and we're happy with that, except for the few stupid ones that still show up on the international news, yelling nazi paroles. those are not representative of the german ppl.
but if you dare say anything, like: could we maybe stop paying the israel government and just pay the ppl individually, those who were actually affected by the holocaust and their families? you dare say that, you're being called a nazi and 'ugly german' all over again. and the german jewish association will take that on the political level. guess they gotta make sure that money flow won't stop. and germany is so embarrassed by its nazi past that they won't argue and keep paying.
germany takes ca. 1/3 of your salary as taxes, this is one recipient of the collected money and now they do what they get reparations for - killing people for no reason.

now i'm mad... :evil:

You have the right to be mad. What you just wrote it´s the truth.

[tabloidburn]

@sarahli and @gema:

it's good to read that the overall impression of german ppl is positive. what makes me so mad is exactly that: you can't even say anything without being called anti-whatever, even if your opinion is a constructive criticsm of the system. when i look at how difficult it is to immigrate into the usa and what kind of controls and surveillance you have to go through, it is ridiculous how easy it is to live and work in germany as a foreigner. part of the problems germany is having now is certainly based on the loose politics in the immigration matter and the ongoing costs that created.

then you work for years straight, and because of all the money germany is paying out to other countries, including israel (with no control what they do with the money, since it's a collect payment to the israeli government...), you can't even be unemployed for a year anymore and each year, social and educational expenses are cut. and germany doesn't dare to suggest cutting these reparations, because it will result in a political war all over again.  

israel is wrong taking that money to build up their warfare! this is not the way to solve problems. of all people, israel should know that and turn it around. we still have image problems from what happened in our history and we completely changed as a people. use the money to make peace! that's what it's for. it's peace money, not war money.

 :mrgreen:

[MissG]

use the money to make peace! that's what it's for. it's peace money, not war money.  :mrgreen:

Great expression   Let´s hope that the money given is used for peace, let´s hope.

[Aintnosunshine]

Please, guys, get things right. Germany does not pay any reparations of tax payer`s money to Israel. I am embarrassed to read such false statements. International politics and foreign affairs are sensitive topics, may I please ask you to be a little more careful ...

[Grace]

Reports stated that there are more "drone remote controlers" currently being hired by the U.S. than pilots for real aircrafts. Knowledge transfer costs only a tiny % of a pilot's studies - that's why remote control is so popular.
The drone "pilots" are sitting in the U.S. while bombarding Iraq or Afghanistan or other targets.
Convenience factor: drone pilots may be home with their families every evening and caskets brought home with public attention will diminish.

Ethics discussions are on whether remote control would ease up decisions to kill.
They are working now on decisions by robots instead of remote controler's decisions.

Sadly it is not one country only but many working on this technique and actively practizing it.
This means that experimental phase is over and world-wide roll-out has been executed since years.

From 2008:
"Demand grows for remote-controlled drones on front lines"
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