Some people say there is no silence; some people ask why there isn’t more coverage
We’re asked from both the right and the left about the silence we’re breaking. The right of course complains that everyone knows about cases of abuse; our work is unnecessary. The left complains that this coverage doesn’t get enough attention. Both demand to know why Israelis don’t address the issue more if the whole society serves in the military.
Over at Magnes Zionist, an Israeli explanation of why this can be true:
First, soldiers have the attitude that what happens in the West Bank stays in the West Bank. They don’t come home and talk to their families and friends about things they are ashamed of — if indeed they are ashamed of it. Most soldiers do what they are told to do and don’t pause to consider what they are doing when they are doing it. By the time they leave the army and have time to think on their experiences, they are smoking grass in India, or trekking in South America, and trying to move on with their lives.
Second, much of what is considered human rights abuse falls under the category of “necessary, if regrettable, deterrence.” There are operational reasons why soldiers, like police officers, have to infringe upon human rights. I am not saying that these are extreme cases, but it is difficult to draw the line between what is militarily necessary or not, and that line is not drawn by you. So you don’t even realize that some of what you are doing is abuse.
Third, soldiers get desensitized quickly. The first time they are asked to abuse civilians, some are shocked. But after repetition, and when boredom sets in, they need to up the ante.
Fourth, some human rights infringement are deemed militarily necessary. So if you want to be a good soldier, you have to obey orders and follow procedures, even if that means that a pregnant women will die in childbirth at a roadblock. You are then told that these things are unfortunate, but without that roadbock, Jews may die. Etc.
A soldier testifies to all the above in this one testimony taken from the archive:
I did not think. In the army I never thought. And I used to come home and tell about it to my friends, which means I was not ashamed of it. Nothing. I did what I was told to do. And besides, everybody did it. That was the custom - officers and such, everybody knew. It never happened that they had told me to shoot here or there… and I would stop to think ‘what if’… First I took the shot; later, if I thought at all, it would always be too late. I never thought while I was doing that.
Read more testimonials online here, download the booklets here, or visit the exhibit for a full tour — we’re open at the Harvard Hillel through Sunday, March 16th.
