Israeli soldiers break the silence about Gaza misconduct

I've found yet again a very informative number of testimonials from the truth initiative: 'Breaking the silence' (which consists of former Israeli servicemen and women. The blog is too long to fully quote it, so I've only quoted a randomly selected number of stories.

source

Breaking the Silence: Women Soldiers Speak Out

February 12, 2010

“Breaking the Silence is an organization of veteran Israeli soldiers that collects anonymous testimonies of soldiers who served in the Occupied Territories during the Second Intifada.” They recount experiences that deeply affected them, including abusing Palestinians, looting, destroying property, and other practices “excused as military necessities, or explained as extreme and unique cases.”

“You go down to the checkpoint and your bullet-proof vests have “Death to Arabs” written on them. “Stuff like that.” You do all sorts of things to humiliate them and brag “about all the loot” you bring back. “The Arabs are the enemy. The more you make them suffer, the better.”

A Hebron Sergeant said “There was this one single time I harassed an Arab brutally….There were lots of soldiers punishing Arabs,” making them do all sorts of things, including threatening them with pointed weapons or making them wait for hours.

...snip...

A Border Patrol First Sergeant recounted incidents of violence, including harassment, keeping Palestinians on their feet, in formation made to sing and hop, and if anyone laughs he gets punched. “It can last for hours” against anyone, including women, children and the elderly. “Some (of us) had absolutely no restraint and abused anyone.”

....

Another Border Patrol First Sergeant recalled chasing a Palestinian who was ordered to halt when he began running. Even though he wasn’t a threat, they shot and killed him. “An investigation was carried out. First they said it was really an unjustified killing. He was a child about nine years old….Eventually the army claimed he was doing something (like) checking escape spots for terrorists….And that was that, the file was closed.”

An Erez Crossing Sergeant said “there was this procedure, before you released a Palestinian back into the Strip, you’d take him into the tent and beat him up.” Commanders took part….even if I let an illegal go at my side of the checkpoint, until he’d get to Gaza he’d go through hell. (He’d) be stopped along the way and every soldier would take his turn beating him. Commanders, too.”

A Hebron Sergeant said “we were the good guys. The Border patrolmen were the bad guys. They would settle accounts in a big way. As for hitting – they were on jeeps the whole time, less on foot, so they would simply take people into their jeeps and beat them to a pulp. You’d see a jeep pass by and a person thrown out of it suddenly….thrown into the street…..They would check someone right next to me and do it brutally….They were about dominance.”

A Seam Zone First Sergeant said another patrolwoman with her talked about women combatants being more violent than men. Some kids came along with bags, and she called them out to come over. “She opened their bags and found this kind of fly-swat inside. So she (told them to run) up and down the hill in ten seconds. They’re scared….So they ran (but she) hit him with that fly-swat. The kid began to cry.”

An Erez Crossing Sergeant explained ways of harassing Palestinians, such as saying: “You want to pass tomorrow? Bring me a pack of cigarettes” or food or something else to take from them. “It was the norm.”