THERE is no such thing as a moral war. There is no such thing as a clean war. There will always be individual soldiers who commit atrocities and there will always be civilians who get caught in the cross-fire. And, as the American philosopher and theologian Howard Thurman rightly said, “During times of war hatred becomes quite respectable, even though it has to masquerade often under the guise of patriotism.”
That said, unless we are prepared to acknowledge that man with all his religious beliefs and supposed ethics is, in reality, no more spiritually evolved than the animal kingdom, conflict must be waged on the basis of universal rules. Now it appears that Israel’s 22-day siege on defenseless Gaza was not.
“Breaking the Silence” is an organization consisting of veteran Israeli soldiers who demand accountability for Israel’s actions in “the occupied territories perpetrated by us and in our name.” Members object to its military’s institutional abuse of Palestinians and destruction of Palestinian-owned property, which they say is often excused as military necessity or explained as extreme and unique cases. The group maintains that immoral commands are being issued by the top down and wants to forcibly remove the blinkers from Israeli society, which still holds to the lie that their military is the most moral in the world.
To this end, the group asks soldiers about their personal experiences and publishes these interviews on its website although it must be said that the names of such interviewees remain confidential. Recent publication of soldiers’ testimonies related to Operation Cast Lead has caused a firestorm within Israel. “Breaking the Silence” is simultaneously being applauded for its efforts to shine a light on the truth and is also coming under heavy attack for airing Israel’s dirty laundry in public. Some Israelis question the veracity of the report and the credibility of the participants. Others say it is based on too much hearsay and not enough hard facts.
ZIV Mavari, writing on the organization’s website explains the motivation of those keen to get the truth out. He argues that incidents of abuse by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) against Palestinians are far from being exceptions. “Our wonderful IDF soldiers, the best of our sons, who were raised on the lofty values of this land, and who chose to volunteer for combat duty in order to best serve their country are going through the inevitable process of moral decay, and have lost all sensitivity and humanity as a result of being occupiers of a civilian population,” he writes.
But rather than brush this destructive trend under the carpet, Mavari believes “it would be better if Israeli society would open its eyes and face up to what is happening. A profound and honest confrontation, as painful as it may be, is much preferable to denial and obscurity ... Israeli society must understand that it is paying a huge moral price for its control over another population. The violence and lack of tolerance do not remain “there”; it comes home with us and accompanies us when we are with friends, on the roads, on the beach and wherever we go.”
LET’S take a look at what some interviewees have said about Operation Cast Lead.
“We weren’t told outright to shoot anything we saw moving but this was the implication ... I understood from the briefing that it’s better to shoot first and ask questions later.”
“We were fired at and we fired back toward suspect spots. What is a suspect spot? It means you decided it was suspect and could take out all you rage on it.”
“Because in training you learn that white phosphorus is not used, and you’re taught that it’s not humane. You watch films and see what it does to people who are hit, and you say, ‘There, we’re doing it too’. That’s not what I expected to see. Until that moment I had thought I belonged to the most humane army in the world.”
“The guys would simply break stuff. Some were out to destroy and trash the whole time. They drew a disgusting drawing on the wall. They threw out sofas. They took down a picture from the wall just to shatter it. They really couldn’t see why they shouldn’t … We were allowed to do anything we want. Who’s to tell us not to?”
“When you enter a house on a mapping action, the family look at you but here you didn’t know if this was a terrorist’s house at all. So the assumption is that everyone is a terrorist and then it’s legitimate to do just anything we please.”
Others reported widespread use of civilian human shields forced to break into neighboring homes suspected of being booby trapped or of containing armed men, which is a recognized war crime, as is the use of white phosphorus in a congested civilian area.
Another recounted how an unarmed old man carrying a torch was gunned down on the orders of his superior who refused to allow deterrent fire as the man approached. His was a scream I will never forget as long as I live, said the interviewee.
The report’s many detractors say it is unreliable due to the anonymity of witnesses but, in fact, it merely confirms earlier revelations from graduates of the Yitzhak Rabin Pre-Military Academy who spoke of the cold-blooded murder of Gaza civilians.
As a result, the academy’s director Danny Zamir was smeared and vilified as someone who aids Israel’s enemies. As expected the IDF was exonerated by a judge who closed a military police investigation into accounts of human rights violations by troops in Gaza.
If the Israeli authorities are determined to carry on in the same vein while burying evidence of war crimes, crimes against humanity and human rights violations, then the international community is surely obliged to take a firm stance in order to protect the helpless victims of any future conflict. If current legal channels, such as the International Criminal Court, are not empowered to hold Israel — or any other state potentially guilty of similar crimes — accountable, then new structures should be instituted.
Israeli soldiers themselves have spoken loud and clear and in many cases they are victims too because they will have to live with the horrible things they’ve seen and done for the rest of their lives. We should hear them.
