Fom my reading of that link about the destruction of the Peace Centre in Bethlemhem, I don't think there's any real indication of that inconsistency that makes DonD feel sceptical about it.

As I read it, Noah was sending out the emails at a time when Bethlehem was effectively under siege, but before the troops and tanks had come into the town. Then he kept his head down until the worst of the violence was over, like most people. Then he went into the Peace Centre with the aim of getting his emails, and found it had been wrecked. He was then able to get an email off telling about it, using some other computer he'd got access to, and a hotmail account. (Which is what all of us would do in the circumstances. Though maybe we'd post it on the Mudcat instead.)

I'm sure one of the factors leading to this kind of thing happening would have been as DonD says, young soldiers hyped up and frightened and angry. But from the systematic way that all kinds of offices, medical surgeries, educational facilities and so forth were trashed it seems to me pretty clear that there also was some kind of higher level policy involved.

If it really was all done against orders, there should be a good few court martials coming up. But I wouldn't hold my breath. Any more than when it happened like that in Northern Ireland.