ISRAELI SOLDIERS BREAK THE SILENCE

Yitzchak Ben Mucha, Paratroopers Special Forces, Israeli Military

“My opinion about such things, then and today, hasn’t changed much. I thought it was wrong then and I still think so. But where I had a certain innocence, back then, that we’re in the territories to protect the country, and we’re doing it temporarily until there’s peace and such, and that other people are doing the lesser of the evils. That naivete was cracked during my military service. And what hit me mainly is the extent ...the extent to which the occupation creates this hatred. The little things that occur within the population – soldiers coming, entering your home, ruining (your) things while conducting a search, in such an extroverted manner. If you take people against their will, to enter their houses, in the line of fire, you create a new hatred. On the other hand, the ignorance of the soldiers to understand how wrong it is, how incorrect and wrong. This defense that we seem to think we are providing. All of these lead me to understand, today, how radical it is, and how much it has to be stopped...with actual action against it. (I’m) not just saying it’s bad and that’s it, (and) let’s continue serving the army until things get better, until there’s peace."