We
are the soldiers who were sent by the Israeli society to the occupied
territories. We were sent to rule over millions of Palestinians, to
'demonstrate our presence', to arrest
children, to disperse protests and 'dry out' detainees. But when we come
back home, our society finds it difficult to listen to our stories
about what we've done.
So why do we break the silence?
“Most of the Israeli public shuts their eyes to the everyday injustices
that occur in the occupied territories [...]. I’m talking about young
men and boys at the age of 18-20, who, on a daily basis, function as
policemen over a civilian population, while not having been trained for
it, and having no idea what they're doing. And the infinite wear out of
our moral norms, our most basic norms - that's something people aren’t
even aware of. [...] let’s be real and talk about the everyday, week
after week, doing things - some of which are clearly wrong, some are in
the so-called grey area, which is very wrong. Let’s talk about the
influence it has over teenagers, young adults, that this reality is
their life for 3 years. Let's be real"
[First sergeant, Armored Corps , 2015]
At the eve of Passover, the holiday of freedom, we know it is our duty to talk about what we saw and what we did there.
