Posted by
InchDeep on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 3:07:57 PM
Hello, my name is Yehuda Shaul and I am a tool of the Palestinian Terrorists.
Why no mention of who started this. Why no mention of nearly unending rocket attacks on Israel. Why no mention of the "process of moral corruption" that lead the radicals in the west bank to do everything they can to bring about the elimination of all Jews in Israel. Idiot!!!! Actually he would make a good Democratic candidate for congress.
It's one of the most remarkable tours you can go on while in Jerusalem. The guides are former soldiers who take you to the places where they served during their tour of duty in the occupied West Bank. The veterans tell about the "process of moral corruption" which soldiers undergo; in other words "losing the sense of right and wrong". The former soldiers say the tour breaks one of the biggest taboos in Israeli society.
"Good morning, welcome to the Breaking the Silence Tour,"
one of the former soldiers says through the microphone at the start
of the bus ride. Several times a week, Yehuda Shaul (25) and his former
army buddies provide a tour for a busload of people to Hebron, where
they served.
Military procedure
While walking the streets of the Palestinian town they give a
candid picture of how they were when they were eighteen. They were
youths with "good moral values" who enthusiastically joined the army.
They were then stationed in Hebron. There they turned into soldiers who
"did not consider Palestinians as equals on a human level".
Shaul takes a break to speak with soldiers who are serving in his
former battalion. They refuse to comment but look somewhat
uncomfortable when Shaul explains to the group in the bus what the
procedure is if they see a plastic bag on the side of the road. The
plastic bag could contain a bomb. Army procedures provide three
options:
-
You shoot at it.
-
You wait until demolition experts deactivate the bomb.
-
You send a Palestinian.
"What do you think we did?",
Shaul asks the group.
"Option number 3, of course."
He explains why this was a logical choice from a military perspective.
If Palestinians know they can be used as human shields they will forget
about placing bombs on the side of the road. But it also means that as
a soldier you can't afford to consider Palestinians as human beings.
"If they are equals you also don't shoot bullets through their roofs in the middle of the night, waking up the entire family."
One of the biggest taboos
Shaul says the army's behaviour in the occupied territories is
"one of the biggest taboos in Israeli society". He points out that
although the occupied West Bank is only a few minutes drive from
Jerusalem many people do not consider it a worthy topic of
conversation. That's despite the fact that a large number of Israeli
soldiers are stationed in the West Bank or in military outposts near
the Gaza Strip.
When Shaul returned to civilian life he realised that he'd fallen prey
to a "process of moral corruption". Together with other soldiers from
his battalion he founded the organisation Breaking the Silence. Shaul
says it caused shockwaves in Israeli society.
Last year, Breaking the Silence brought 3,000 people to Hebron,
including many youngsters under the age of 18 who must still do their
compulsory military service. Shaul tries to explain to them that as a
soldier you irrevocably change your manner of thinking.
"When you are a soldier in the military your mindset is very narrow.
You don't talk at the end of your shift about what you did to the
Palestinians, and you don't question things. You ask: How can I get
more sleep? How can I get better food? These are the only things you
care about."
Volley of curses
Shaul and his colleagues get a lot of support, but also meet a
lot of hostility. Especially from the settlers who live in the centre
of the Palestinian town of Hebron. The principle reason the Israeli
army is stationed in Hebron is to protect the colonists. During our
tour a settler photographed everyone in an intimidating manner. Another angrily got out of his car and began firing a volley of curses at Shaul for, among other things,
collaborating with the enemy (the Palestinians). Shaul stayed calm.
"This time I at least didn't get any eggs or bricks thrown at my head."
A few weeks ago he showed a group of German parliamentarians around. They were pelted with stones.
Despite the attacks by settlers he has no doubts about his mission. He wants to force Israeli society to look in the mirror.
"Breaking the Silence asks people to take responsibility not only for
Israeli society but also for what is going on in the occupied
territories. It's our obligation as people who were there to educate
people and to force a debate in Israel regarding what is going on in
the occupied territories. If we won't do it, no one else will."'