Breaking the Silence (BTS) is an organization comprised of Israeli combat veterans. They
served since the start of the second Intifada. They refuse any longer to stay
silent.
Their testimonies expose "the reality of
everyday life in the Occupied Territories." Their purpose is to
stimulate public debate. They revealed abuses too gruesome to hide.
They include "looting and destruction of
property." Many other crimes and abuses are much worse. In their own
words, they reveal the deplorable immorality of Israel's militarized occupation.
Most Israelis ignore it. They turn a blind eye to
what's done in their name. "In order to become civilians again, soldiers
are (also) forced to ignore what they have seen and done."
BTS members have been revealing disturbing truths
for years. A previous article discussed them, saying:
"We, reserve officers and soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces
(IDF)....have always served in the front lines" (We) were first to carry
out any mission, light or heavy, (and we did it) to protect the State of Israel
and strengthen it."
"We....served....long weeks every year, in
spite of dear cost to our personal lives, have been on reserve duty all over
the Occupied Territories, and were issued commands and directives that had
nothing to do with the security of our country (but were only given to
perpetuate) our control over the Palestinian people."
"We('ve)....seen the bloody toll this
Occupation exacts from both sides."
"The commands issued to us in the Territories
(have) destroy(ed) all the values (we learned) growing up in this
country."
"The (way) the Occupation (undermines the)
IDF's human character and (exposes) the corruption of the entire Israeli
society."
"We....know that the Territories are not
Israel, and that all settlements are bound to be evacuated in the end."
"We hereby declare that we shall not continue
to fight this War of the Settlements."
"We shall not continue to fight beyond the 1967
borders to dominate, expel, starve and humiliate an entire people."
"We hereby declare that we shall continue
serving the Israel Defense Forces in any mission that serves Israel's
defense."
"The missions of occupation and oppression do not serve this
purpose - and we shall take no part in them."
Women soldiers also speak out. Their testimonies
match their male counterparts. They condemn the corrupt state of Israel's
military. They want no further part of horrific crimes committed in their
name.
To date, BTS collected over 700 testimonies.
Soldiers from all segments of Israeli society supplied them. They're frank,
bold, revealing, and courageous. Those published were "meticulously
researched" for accuracy.
Facts are cross-checked with additional eyewitness
evidence, as well as archival material from human rights organizations.
Most soldiers remain anonymous for their own safety.
They're concerned about IDF recrimination and societal pressures they'll face
otherwise. Israel doesn't take criticism lightly.
It wants no one obstructing or denigrating military
or government policies. Doing so can be hazardous. Being Jewish doesn't grant
immunity. Soldiers bearing witness to horrific crimes have special concerns.
They have smoking gun proof of Israeli lawless.
Their testimonies are damning. They reveal the real
Israel. They destroy the myth of a free, open, and equitable democratic
state. Throughout its history, ruthlessness defines policy.
Militarism is a way of life. Arabs are considered
lesser beings. Occupied Palestinians are persecuted for not being Jewish.
Edward Said explained it powerfully. His books,
articles, and outspokenness bear witness to decades of horrific treatment.
He described "Sharonian evil." Among other
crimes, he massacred children. He turned Palestine into an isolated prison.
He used tanks and F-16s against civilians.
He, his predecessors, and successors committed
virtually every imaginable atrocity. Netanyahu exceeds his extremism. He,
Barak, and likeminded hardliners represent consummate evil.
Palestinians are persecuted and oppressed for their
faith, ethnicity and presence. An endless cycle of violence, depravation, and
degradation targets them. In Gaza, slow-motion genocide is policy.
In the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Israeli
soldiers operate like storm troopers. Hitler had a Jewish problem. Israel has
a Palestinian one. They can't get rid of them, so they're brutalized
mercilessly.
BTS soldiers want shocking truths revealed. Everyone
has a right to know. Israelis need to know what type society they live in.
Change depends on exposing it to the light of day.
US media scoundrels suppress it. So do European ones
most often. Exceptions are rare. They prove the rule. London
Guardian writer Harriet Sherwood headlined "Former Israeli
soldiers disclose routing mistreatment of Palestinian children," saying:
BTS members described "beatings, intimidation,
humiliation, verbal abuse, night-time arrests and injury."
Children most often face stone-throwing charges.
Usually they did nothing. At most they caused no harm. They can face prison and
torture either way. They're horrifically treated like adults. Sherwood gave
graphic examples of soldier testimonies.
So did London
Independent writer Donald MacIntyre. He headlined "Israel
breaks silence over army abuses," saying:
As a teenager, "Hafez Rajabi was marked for
life by his encounter with" Israeli soldiers. His scars bear testimony
to their abuse. They terrorized and brutalized him. He was "certain that
he was going to" be killed.
He's one of countless thousands. One boy was
"beat(en) to a pulp." So were others. In custody they're tortured
to confess even if innocent. British lawyers accused Israel of "serial
breaches of international law in its military's handling of children in
custody."
Kids young as 10 or younger are traumatized. Some
never recover. Most are entirely innocent. Being Palestinian puts them at
risk. Soldiers get habituated to violence. Commanders order it.
Dehumanization, brutalization, humiliation, and
harassment are commonplace.Unaccountability is policy. Institutionalized
cruelty goes unnoticed. So does murder and virtually every other type abuse.
Sunshine is the best disinfectant. BTS soldiers took
full advantage. Others are encouraged to join them. Below are examples of
what they said. Multiply each one by thousands if all soldiers spoke freely.
Growing up in Palestine means living with threatened
state terror. Few kids escape it directly or indirectly. They face it growing
up and as adults. Militarized occupation assures it.
A Hebron-based soldier said:
"You never know their names, you never talk
with them, they always cry, shit in their pants….There are those annoying
moments when you're on an arrest mission, and there's no room in the police
station, so you just take the kid back with you, blindfold him, put him in a
room and wait for the police to come and pick him up in the morning. He sits
there like a dog …"
According to another soldier:
One kid lay on the ground "begging for his
life. (He) was actually nine years old, I mean, a kid has to beg for his
life? A loaded gun is pointed at him and he has to plead for mercy? This is
something that scars him for life. But I think if we hadn't entered the
village at that point, then stones would be thrown the next day and perhaps
the next time someone would be wounded or killed as a result."
Another:
"We were sort of indifferent. It becomes a kind
of habit. Patrols with beatings happened on a daily basis. We were really
going at it. It was enough for you to give us a look that we didn't like,
straight in the eye, and you'd be hit on the spot. We got to such a state and
were so sick of being there."
Another:
"The commander said to (her): 'Keep away!' Came
close, cocked his gun. She got scared. (He shouted): 'Anyone gets close, I
kill him. Don't annoy me. I'll kill him. I have no mercy.' He was really on
the edge. Obviously (the boy) had been beaten up. Anyway, he told them: 'Get
the hell out of here!' and all hell broke loose. His nose was bleeding. He
had really been beaten to a pulp."
Another:
"We'd often provoke riots (in Hebron). We'd be
on patrol, walking in the village, bored, so we'd trash shops, find a
detonator, beat someone to a pulp, you know how it is. Search, mess it all
up. Say we'd want a riot? We'd go up to the windows of a mosque, smash the
panes, throw in a stun grenade, make a big boom, then we'd get a riot."
"Every time we'd catch Arab kids. You catch
him, push the gun against his body. He can't make a move - he's totally
petrified. He only goes: 'No, no, army.' You can tell he's petrified. He sees
you're mad, that you couldn't care less about him and you're hitting him
really hard the whole time."
"And all those stones flying around. You grab him like this, you
see? We were mean, really. Only later did I begin to think about these
things, that we'd lost all sense of mercy."
Over 700 other testimonies read like these. If made
public, thousands of others could replicate them. These are serious,
unprovoked crimes. Prosecutions rarely happen. Punishments are no more than
wrist slaps. Commanders have total absolution.
Israeli rule of law says Palestinians don't matter.
They're kicked around like rag dolls. Stray dogs wouldn't be treated as
abusively. Israeli soldiers have virtual carte blanche to do what they
please.
Impunity protects them. Commanders order them to be
tougher. So do extremist rabbis. BTS soldiers bear witness to Israel's dark
side. It's the only side Palestinians endure daily.
Read the entire BTS report and
know why.
His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces
America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com
and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the
Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at
10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are
archived for easy listening.
|
