Born and raised in the American Jewish community, we joined the IDF to defend Israel and its borders. What we did in the occupied territories was a far cry from that. The Lone Soldiers’ Letter demands of our communities to take responsibility for their seemingly unconditional support for Israel despite 52 years of occupation. It’s time to break the silence.
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@MaltzJudy's excellent article for @haaretzcom gives an in-depth account of who the lone soldiers are and what it is they're demanding of their communities.
Read the article here: https://t.co/8casqqNVvY
For full details of our US tour: https://t.co/9EwmtBBGip
— Breaking the Silence (@BtSIsrael) November 13, 2019
Their message to the communities in which they grew up is clear: our service in the occupied territories had nothing to do with defending Israel. We were sent there in order to uphold an immoral occupation.
— Breaking the Silence (@BtSIsrael) November 13, 2019
About a 1/3 of the ~3,500 lone soldiers serving in the IDF at any given time are from the US. 6 US-born IDF veterans- who came to Israel driven by their deep connection with the State and a desire to protect its borders- are currently in the US, holding a series of panel events.
— Breaking the Silence (@BtSIsrael) November 13, 2019
"His military training focused on 'fighting off invading armies'. But this had little relevance for his service in the West Bank. 'All of a sudden, it was about interrupting traffic & arresting people in the middle of the night. It had nothing to do with protecting the state.'" https://t.co/j64WNTSJmx pic.twitter.com/n7akSq9CoA
— Breaking the Silence (@BtSIsrael) November 13, 2019
When we drafted we were told the day would come when we’d risk our lives for the security of our country. So we risked our lives; but for what security? How many times will we go through this cycle of bloodshed before we realize that it always leads us to exactly the same place? pic.twitter.com/vGoFJ8tMk6
— Breaking the Silence (@BtSIsrael) November 12, 2019
We know this because we’ve been here before. As Israelis, we’ve suffered through war after war. As former soldiers, we’ve carried out orders that have scarred us, changed us, made us see things differently. We saw from up close what human blood- Israeli and Palestinian- is worth. pic.twitter.com/GePxK5t9ZW
— Breaking the Silence (@BtSIsrael) November 12, 2019
– Israel's Cabinet will again classify it as an operation, not a war. That way they don’t pay compensation to those affected.
– Either way, no sum would ever be enough to compensate for what was lost.
– Somewhere down the line, there’ll be another escalation & another operation. pic.twitter.com/eAg5cfUes5— Breaking the Silence (@BtSIsrael) November 12, 2019
– People will die. More in Gaza than in Israel. Some by mistake. Others on purpose. Some will go and never come back. Some will come back different, and they’ll never be the same again.
– Families will be torn apart;others will learn to live with a void that can never be filled. pic.twitter.com/ibQoWhOT3K— Breaking the Silence (@BtSIsrael) November 12, 2019
– Fields will be burned and farmers will lose their livelihoods.
– For hours or days or weeks, life will come to a standstill. pic.twitter.com/UgI4redw58— Breaking the Silence (@BtSIsrael) November 12, 2019