VIOLENCE : Palestinians Suspect Israeli ‘Death Squads’ : Critics of army’s liberal rules for deadly force say victims are targeted for execution rather than arrest.

A burst of pitiless shootings of Palestinians by plainclothes and uniformed Israeli troops is undermining government claims of disciplined, restrained use of force and raising suspicions that Israel is employing “death squad” tactics.

Critics of the army actions contend that Palestinian suspects are targeted for execution in the street rather than arrest. They say that Israel’s liberalized rules on troops firing their weapons are meant to create an atmosphere of terror among the Palestinian population.

In two recent cases--including one in this impoverished, rural town south of Jerusalem--the military rules called for soldiers to shoot at victims’ feet, by the army’s own account. But the Palestinians were shot in the head. In each case, officials said, the victim “slipped.”

Reuven Pedazur, a veteran defense writer, suggested in the liberal Haaretz newspaper that military rules appeared to have been eased “to permit almost unlimited use of firearms.”

Gen. Danny Yatom, the West Bank army commander, recently admitted that the rules had been “adjusted” to permit soldiers to shoot fleeing Palestinians or anyone who appears to be reaching for a weapon.

He said the change was needed to combat Palestinian gunmen because the Arab uprising “is distinguished today mainly by either sporadic terrorist attack or stone throwing. Our main problem is those who belong to the hard core and it is against them we are acting.”

The events in Sair, at least, indicate a more random use of guns.

Last Thursday, a group of teen-agers playing soccer spied a yellow Volkswagen truck flying an Israeli flag; it circled the town for at least half an hour, witnesses said. Some of the boys stoned the vehicle, which turned out to be carrying four undercover Israeli agents. They fired on the stone throwers, wounding Amin Jaradat, 16.

His friend, Mahmoud Shalaldeh, 22, picked him up and carried him to a nearby car. They drove toward the nearest hospital in Hebron and were followed by the Volkswagen.

When Shalaldeh’s car reached a rudimentary roadblock set up by youthful protesters and he got out to remove the stones from the road, the plainclothes soldiers pulled up behind. “He was bending over moving the rocks and they came and shot him,” said Jaradat.

The original army version of events left out telling details. Officials said only that Palestinians stoned the soldiers.

When pressed about the presence of the apparently provocative Volkswagen, army spokesman Moshe Fogel first denied it had anything to do with the army and said it was just a vehicle passing by. Then he said it was an undercover vehicle, but he insisted it did not chase the car carrying Jaradat and Shalaldeh. He checked further and said the car did give chase and the soldiers in it did shoot and kill Shalaldeh.

Fogel said Shalaldeh had fled--grounds for him to be shot.

Few Israelis are willing to believe Arab accounts. But one recent incident, witnessed by an Israeli couple, momentarily prompted skepticism. David and Aviva Elimelech said they saw soldiers approach two masked youths painting slogans on a wall; without warning, they said, the soldiers shot at the youths.

But Yatom, the military commander, told reporters that one of the victims pulled a small chain out of his coat and the other moved as if to flee.

Elimelech was charged with interfering with army work.

THE TOLL IN THE OCCUPIED LANDS

The violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip continues unabated, with often deadly results:

The Israeli army says it has killed 22 Palestinians in the first four months of 1992.

Human rights groups say 40 Palestinians have been fatally shot by Israeli troops and police, more than half of the casualties in incidents involving undercover units.

The Palestinians have killed 25 in intra-Arab violence in the first four months of 1992.