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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Every contribution to Breaking the Silence is a contribution toward ending the occupation and a tangible way of making a clear statement against these attempts to silence us all. Help us put the spotlight firmly back on the occupation.https://t.co/S4s9zULdYy
— Breaking the Silence (@BtSIsrael) January 26, 2021
The defamation suit brought against us last week was just the latest in a series of attempts to silence & distract us from our work. They're trying to make us the story rather than the occupation. But the occupation isn't something that can be overlooked. https://t.co/ioHJYn1Nut
— Breaking the Silence (@BtSIsrael) January 26, 2021
For some people, the cold, ugly truth is too much: it's easier to shoot the messenger than to face up to what no one wants to hear. That's what the extreme right is trying to do to us now. But the occupation must be exposed.
That's why we need your help. https://t.co/ZjUkSQnUJ8 pic.twitter.com/ktOgdFSgu7
— Breaking the Silence (@BtSIsrael) January 26, 2021
A month into the latest wave of settler violence, a month of silence from the people who praised a soldier who intervened to stop settlers beating up a Palestinian. So are the soldiers expected to intervene or to stand by? https://t.co/gBo92j8CTG
— Breaking the Silence (@BtSIsrael) January 25, 2021
"Obviously [the soldiers] aren’t allowed to touch Jews. That’s the whole story regarding the law as it applies in the territories. [Settlers] are supposed to be completely subject to Israeli law. The army isn’t allowed to arrest or detain [the settlers]." https://t.co/gseAP25HMU
— Breaking the Silence (@BtSIsrael) January 25, 2021
"We always used to ask during all kinds of incidents, if the Jew does something, what am I supposed to do to him? And there wasn’t, they never provided an answer about what can be done." https://t.co/hhc3Tftabd
— Breaking the Silence (@BtSIsrael) January 25, 2021
"The instructions we receive are that we’re not supposed to deal with settlers. […The instruction is that] if there’s friction with settlers, you immediately call the police or the border police sometimes, but we’re not supposed to deal with them." https://t.co/nijv3DIQ01
— Breaking the Silence (@BtSIsrael) January 25, 2021
These images show – and not for the first time – the truth behind the PR. Over the years we've received dozens of testimonies from soldiers who told us that according to the instructions they received, they weren't authorized to arrest or detain settlers. For example:
— Breaking the Silence (@BtSIsrael) January 25, 2021
Yet here they are, IDF soldiers seen standing idly by while settlers pelt Palestinian houses with stones – after a month of sustained violence by settlers across the oPt. But somehow this time the Chief of Staff and the Minister of Defense have nothing to say on the matter. pic.twitter.com/u7lFlUwKrt
— Breaking the Silence (@BtSIsrael) January 25, 2021