‘I became more and more violent’: shocking testimonies of abuse from IDF veterans
JVL Introduction
Shocking testimony from IDF veterans, assembled by Breaking the Silence, has been on display in a video exhibition in New York and Washington, in a bid to make Americans aware of what their subsidies to Israel are funding.
Chris McGreal writes it up for the Guardian in this distressing account:
“Individually the testimonies are disturbing as soldiers describe a culture of dehumanisation and violence against Palestinians. Together they lay bare the relentless and often gratuitous cruelty of 55 years of occupation and the damage it does both to the occupied and the occupier.”
This article was originally published by the Guardian on Thu 15 Dec 2022. Read the original here.
‘I became more and more violent’: shocking testimonies of abuse from IDF veteran
Horrifying military abuse is recounted in a new video project that aims to highlight how US funding is aiding violence in Israel
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Shocking testimony indeed.
Those of us who have been reading the Guardian for decades will remember Chris McGreal as possibly their very best Jerusalem correspondent. His farewell column talked about Israeli apartheid way back in 2006. All his columns were given a prominent space in the newspaper. I couldn’t help observing that this powerful piece today was tucked away under the ‘art and design’ section!
I am just sickened by the way that Israel has been treating Palestine for many many years and most of the world just standby and does nothing if this was happening in Ukraine it will be a very different matter
Dear Bibi and pals, I do agree with you on one thing. This is where modern anti-Semitism begins. What to do? Stop the racism and abuse? Or attempt to control the narrative? (Hint – one if these choices will seriously backfire and reinforce yet another anti-Semitic trope).
What causes these soldiers to confess these evil deeds? What recriminations do they face? What about the ones that don’t confess? Do they suffer ptsd? Do they see psychiatrists who tell them that their acts were necessary for the survival of the state?
Many of the people of Israel – like US soldiers back from Vietnam – must be traumatized by the acts committed in the country’s name. Their sickness is shared by the entire nation. But many seem to have hardened their hearts, which is another sort ov trauma. In video clips from Jerusalem I see young Israelis jumping up and down in a kind of ecstasy, chanting ‘Death to Arabs’ and insulting the religion of their captives. This can’t end well.
I put a video of an IDF soldier shooting the side of a young boys head off, killing Jin instantly, the other soldiers started cheering, congratulating and slapping him on the back.
I posted the video on Facebook with the comment, “Isn’t it a shame that some Israeli children are taught that Palestinians are less than vermin”. Facebook suspended me, their reason was, I had said Palestinians are worse than vermin. The only option I was given was to agree or disagree with their suspension.
Reading these IDF soldiers testimony brings it all back.