A shocking photo of a young Palestinian boy caught between the cross-hairs of an Israeli soldier's rifle scope has sparked trenchant ire throughout the Web and was recently taken down. The photo was originally posted on Instagram by 20-year-old Israeli soldier Mor Ostrovski, who claims he did not take the picture himself.
No disciplinary action has been taken, despite the outrage caused by the photo from numerous organizations and sources.
"There are no other images to suggest that the photographer actually fired at the person in the image in this case," says Palestinian activist Ali Abuminah. "The image is simply tasteless and dehumanizing. It embodies the idea that Palestinian children are targets."
Abuminah, the person originally responsible for drawing attention to the picture in question, also posted other photos from Ostrovski's Instagram account, showing the Israeli soldier flaunting a variety of weapons.
"The picture in question does not coincide with IDF's values or code of ethics," Eytan Buchman, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces, told ABC News in an emailed statement.
Regardless of the claim, the photo does not mark the first time a potential ethical violation of this nature has resulted from questionable actions on the part of IDF personnel.
Other recent infractions include a soldier who last week posted on Facebook a picture mocking four Palestinian soldiers he was guarding. The picture was taken down and the soldier was sentenced to 14 days in detention.
In 2010, female reserve soldier named Eden Abergil also used Facebook to mock prisoners she was guarding, after which IDF said it would "crack down on soldiers posting offensive and humiliating photos on social networking sites," reports The Blaze.
The head spokesperson of IDF's social media unit found himself in trouble with a photo he posted on Facebook showing himself in blackface and tastelessly sporting the message, "Obama style."
"This is what occupation looks like," writes a member of Breaking the Silence (an Israeli organization opposed to IDF activity in the West Bank) on Facebook. "This is what military control over a civilian population looks like."
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