BREAKING THE SILENCE ON PALESTINE = THE FEAR + VIOLENCE + INTIMIDATION + MURDER

Yehuda Shaul, Founder of Breaking the Silence, served as a combat soldier in the IDF, reaching the rank of commander and platoon sergeant. Born in 1982 and when the occupation of Palestine began I was 34 years old, I enlisted for military service. I served as a combat soldier, then a commander, stationed all around the West Bank. I, like many others before and after me, stood at checkpoints, conducted arrests, searched and even destroyed homes, and much more.

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Many of the operations we conducted were aimed at making our presence felt, in order to show the Palestinians they were never free from the Israeli army’s watchful eye and disciplinary power. The Israel Defense Forces’ strategy logic – If the Palestinians know that we are always there, they will be afraid to stand up for themselves. If they are afraid of rising up, it will be easier to rule over them.

To make our presence felt, my comrades and I held regular patrols in the Palestinian city of Hebron – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We would walk the streets armed, make a lot of noise, and routinely enter random Palestinian homes. Try to imagine the following situation: it’s the middle of the night, everybody is asleep, and a military force bursts into your home. The message we sent was clear: You are always vulnerable, even in your own home.

Another concept common throughout my service in the territories was “deterrence”. We applied it, for example, on the road near the Palestinian village of Husan, which led to Beitar Illit, the settlement where my sister lives. On that road, Palestinian youth would gather and throw rocks at passing vehicles. In order to deter this activity, the commanders’ idea was unambiguous: “If we take out some knees, they will stop throwing stones.” Following this rationale, we placed snipers above the road with the following rules of engagement: aim at the legs of every youth holding a rock, and shoot to kill anyone throwing a “large stone” (one that requires two hands to lift).

At the time, the instructions seemed logical, and we carried them out without question. Only towards the end of my service did my comrades and I recognize there was something immoral about what we had done. We likewise realized that the Israeli public, which sent us to the territories, had no idea of what was being done in its name.

When we finished our service in 2004, my comrades and I founded Breaking the Silence, in order to expose the Israeli public to the reality of the occupation. A decade has passed. Close to 1000 soldiers have since joined us and testified about their military service. We all have similar stories, attesting to the persistence of the IDF’s modus operandi. Thus, even though Palestinian violence has dramatically decreased since the days of the second intifada, new recruits take on tasks similar to those we performed. Soldiers operate in the same way in order to “disrupt the routine of daily life” of Palestinians and make them “feel chased”.

21 years since the Oslo Accords + Countless negotiations crumbled and the occupation is ENDLESS. The reality is Israel’s willingness to sit down and talk is MEANINGLESS and takes the focus off the Granting independence to the Palestinian people and REMOVING THE IDF FEAR + VIOLENCE + INTIMIDATION + CONTROL over the territories. = The constant “feeling of being chased” among Palestinians continues = ZERO INDEPENDENCE = Exact opposite of an end to the occupation.

Stop being mesmerized by the peace process and start contending with the occupation.

Israel = 66th anniversary.
Israel = 47th year of military control over Occupied territories. = Israeli national project

Jewish tradition = The Jubilee year is the one when slaves are given their freedom.

Jubilee year of the occupation approaches = Remove the chains on Palestinian people

Will we release them as our ancestors released their slaves? It is TIME!