The Latest "Breaking the Silence" Report Isn't Journalism. It's Propaganda.

[shira]

...The editors seem to want readers to believe there were “no rules” in Gaza, and that the IDF acted without taking civilian life into consideration. In fact the interviews themselves show the army taking numerous steps to avoid harm to civilians. The soldiers regularly mention warning leaflets, “roof-knocking” rockets, phone calls, warning shells, warning shots, lists of protected sites like UN facilities, and drones vetting targets for civilians before an airstrike. All of the action we encounter in the report is happening in areas where the army had already warned Gazan civilians (and, of course, Hamas guerrillas) that soldiers were about to arrive. Indeed, what is truly striking is that the soldiers simply take all of these steps for granted, as if they were obviously part of warfare, when in fact many are unique to Israeli military practice.

...Breaking the Silence’s money is foreign, not Israeli, and the primary customers for its product are foreign, not Israeli. At its extensive English website, Jewish soldiers are presented for international consumption as a spectacle of moral failure, a spectacle paid for by Norwegians, French Catholics, and Germans. This being so, it is completely reasonable for Israelis to wonder what exactly this group is and which side it is on.

...The idea that there has been “silence” about Israel’s actions in its conflict with the Palestinians cannot be taken seriously; over the past two decades, probably no international story has been covered more than this one. But there are important silences at work, and the frenzy surrounding this latest Breaking the Silence report offers a good opportunity to point them out.

For years prior to last summer’s war, Hamas was busy building an impressive network of tunnels under residential areas in Gaza, some of them leading under the border into Israel; stockpiling rockets; and raising and training a large fighting force, including a naval commando unit. That meant thousands of people, mostly Gazans, were about to die. The local contingent of the international press, one of the world’s largest, was silent about this.

http://mosaicmagazine.com/observation/2015/05/the-latest-breaking-the-silence-report-isnt-journalism-its-propaganda/

[shira]

1. Conclusion...

...As presented openly in its charter, Hamas’s ideology holds that Jews control the United Nations and the world media, were responsible for both world wars as well as the French and Russian revolutions, and “sabotage” societies through the Freemasons and the Rotary Club. It also asserts that God wants Jews to be murdered. The unwritten rule of the press corps requires silence about this. For a good example, take a look at the charter and then at this “summary ” of it once published by the Associated Press.

The vast media coverage devoted over the past week to this little piece of agit-prop from a little country—its claims parroted without proof, shorn of context and comparison, and presented as journalism to people around the world—must lead us to ask what, exactly, is going on. What is motivating all of this? No one observing our planet of violence and injustice in 2015 can claim any longer that Israel is covered the same way other countries are covered; that the coverage is proportional to the scale of events; or that the tone of moral condemnation—growing in its hysteria, and crawling from the fringes deeper and deeper into the mainstream press—is in the realm of reasonable reportage.

[font color = "red"]In all the talk purporting to be about the Gaza war, many are beginning to see more clearly the outlines of another war entirely. What is the nature of this war? That is where the real silence lies.[/font]

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

2. Just one question, shira. How many Palestinian civilians, women...men...children, did Israel murder?

Israel is probably going to the ICC, IMHO, and these testimonies may be used...with more like it from the victims.

Good luck trying to whitewash it away.

[Scootaloo]

4. Could you at least pretend to answer a question posed to you?

[shira]

5. Doesn't look like any were murdered according to the BtS report...

There wasn't one soldier from Breaking the Silence who accused the IDF of murdering civilians.

[Scootaloo]

6. See? Now why couldn't you just say that to Azurnoir?

[shira]

7. Now one for you: How many Gazan lives is Hamas accountable for....

....given that they intentionally used civilians and children as human shields, as well as child combatants?

[Scootaloo]

8. How many times are we going to have this same discussion, Shira?

Look up one of the other twelve times, if you really need a reminder. Look for one of the many times I explained to you how bombs work.

[shira]

9. You don't believe Hamas is accountable for their war crimes, correct? n/t

[Scootaloo]

10. Again, I refer you back to one of the dozens of times we've been over this topic

Seriously Shira. it grows tiresome, having the same conversation damn near every week. Find some new material, or just, like... stop.

Come discuss topics in GD or something. I thought I caught a glimpse of an Avatar or sig line from you supporting Bernie Sanders. come join the Sanders group, have a civil discussion with real people. or get trolled by clintonistas, either way, it's more fun than scratching the same scab every fucking day.

[shira]

11. It's just that I don't recall you holding Hamas accountable for any Gazan lives.

I can't find that in past conversations with you if it was never there in the 1st place.

[Scootaloo]

12. Then you have a bad memory.

I would recommend salmon to fix that, but it's probable you can't get decent salmon in Boston (Atlantic salmon is grotesque.) So, sicne i know you're not even going to try to go back and refresh your own memory (it shouldn't be hard - just look under your "My Posts" tab, every post you make is in I/P, so finding this stuff should be simple...)

So yes - Hamas' leaders should face investigation and trial for any war crimes they have committed.

[shira]

13. So how many Gazan lives from last summer is Hamas accountable for?

You asked me earlier in this thread to at least pretend to answer the question...

Your turn now.

[Scootaloo]

14. How many spies did Hamas kill?

[shira]

15. No idea. What's your point? n/t

[Scootaloo]

16. Killing spies without a fair trial is a war crime.

And these are the only war crime deaths that we can conclusively pin on Hamas at the moment. At least, the ones Hamas committed, i'm sure other organizations did some, and there might have been some straight-up murders of said spies by individuals.

[shira]

17. So Hamas isn't accountable for using children as shields and militants....

....and any deaths that resulted from those war crimes?

Or are you denying these war crimes altogether?

[Scootaloo]

18. Those that can be proved conclusively, sure

What we know until then is that the vast majority of these people were killed by Israeli pilots in Israeli jets and operating Israeli Drones and dropping Israeli bombs and Israeli missiles on them, under orders of the Israel Defense forces, under the authority of the Israeli government

So, that's the first place to look for responsibility in those deaths.

I know you don't like it. Maybe you can't even comprehend it. But the fact is every bit of evidence on hand is that Israel is responsible for those deaths and so far Israel's only defense is "they made us!" - it's not a very good defense.

But, that's what investigations are for, right?

[shira]

19. You don't believe there's enuff evidence Hamas deliberately used kids as shields & combatants? n/t

[Scootaloo]

20. I believe it bears actual investigation

Israel should join the ICC and bring a claim to bear, don't you think?

[Little Tich]

21. Fortunately, it seems as if the ICC will make a thorough investigation of whether war crimes

were committed in Gaza or not.

It's good for Israel, as the accusations will hurt their international standing until they're properly dismissed.

[oberliner]

22. Have any of the soldiers gone public?

That is to say, has any soldier spoken publicly about having been interviewed for this report?

I know being anonymous allows for greater freedom of expression but it also makes it difficult to authenticate what is reported.

[Israeli]

23. In short ...yes ...many.

"" "It’s not trivial to speak out in Israel today. It’s definitely something that is difficult. And I have to say that the soldiers (...) they’re not scared of the penalties. They’re not scared of legal repercussions. They’re actually scared of the reaction of their society and the fact that they will be seen as the scapegoat."

Watch us on Democracy Now! Listen to the testimonies and understand why it is so difficult to speak out. ""

הצג/הציגי תרגום

Source: https://www.facebook.com/BreakingTheSilenceIsrael

Watch video @
http://www.democracynow.org/2015/5/6/kill_anything_israeli_soldiers_say_gaza

[oberliner]

25. Can you name one?

None are identified in this post.

In the video, their faces are blurred and voices are obscured.

None give their real name.

[Israeli]

30. I could name a few oberliner....

Seriously ....are you suggesting they dont exist ????



"" Yesterday, members of Knesset from the Meretz מרצ party, read our soldiers' testimonies from Operation Protective Edge in the plenum. We're proud to have these important testimonies discussed where it's most important for them to be discussed - where elected officials convene and where the policies we refuse to accept were enacted. ""

Source : https://www.facebook.com/BreakingTheSilenceIsrael?fref=nf

Did you watch that video all the way thru ??......if so ...you are missing the point ..as usual .

[Israeli]

24. A question for you oberliner......

Did you watch that video on Democracy Now that I gave a link to ?
All the way thru ???

Did you hear/see the part about the Shujaiyeh neighborhood of Gaza City ???
ref : http://972mag.com/photos-scenes-of-devastation-from-deadliest-day-in-gaza/93987/

Would you like to hear/see from them now ??

bevakasha.......

The human rights film festival sends a message that Gaza is not just a strip of flattened homes, poverty and militants, as the media tends to portray it, says one of the organizers. ‘The people of Gaza are human beings, who love life, who seek peace, and who want to go to the movies, to live normal lives.’.......

http://972mag.com/even-in-gaza-you-cant-have-a-film-festival-without-a-red-carpet/106723/

[oberliner]

26. The video is not responsive to my question

I am asking if any of the people interview have gone public with their names or do they all remain anonymous.

In this video, they remain anonymous, but in the post above you wrote that many have gone public.

None do so here.

[Israeli]

31. Here they do tho .....

ref : ....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1134103210

Meet " Extend " .........

Day 2: Hebron and Bethlehem

Morning: Tour of Hebron with Breaking the Silence, an organization that offers tours of the West Bank led by former IDF soldiers with a critical perspective on Israeli policy in the West Bank.

Source :http://extendtours.org/the-trip/

Or do you think that tours of the wild west bank are conducted by figments of our imagination ...just like the tours by peace now ????.....

[oberliner]

32. Are those the same people interviewed in this report?

What I am asking for is whether or not any soldier was willing/is willing to put their name with one or more of the sections of the report. I am not seeing any evidence from your links of a particular person saying, for instance, that subject #4 was them. Do you get what I am asking? I might just be missing it - if so, please help me out with a direct link.

I am sure none of this is the figment of anyone's imagination. I have read many similar reports from veterans of other conflicts, particularly US veterans - many of whom I have spoken to directly about some of their experiences. I'm sure you must've heard some of the more well-known accounts from the Vietnam War, for instance, or Iraq and Afghanistan.

Would that every country had organizations like this that brought these things to light.

Someday, I hope to live in a world where wars are a thing of the past.

[Israeli]

33. No they are not oberliner.....

....I already helped you out with a direct link .

Not my problem that you missed the point ....or cant see the wood for the trees.

I would suggest you take some time and read here , maybe even join in the discussion ...everyone is welcome ....even shira's POV ..... :

https://www.facebook.com/BreakingTheSilenceIsrael?fref=nf

The internet is mind blowing is it not ?

[Jefferson23]

27. The propaganda belongs to the author an apologist for the IDF, and his message is clear and his

ability to portray Breaking the Silence is riddled with the same rhetoric the state is using
to muzzle dissent and war crimes investigations.

snip* The army has said it is committed to investigate all claims against it but that Breaking the Silence has not provided evidence of its allegations. The group says it sent a letter to IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot a month before publishing the report asking for a meeting and never received a response.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.656177

One would need to dismiss all the human rights groups reports over many years to absolve
Israeli policy, and that is the states goal..to dismiss it and render it done by turncoats.

[Jefferson23]

28. 'Any person you see – shoot to kill':The IDF doctrine which causes the death of innocent Palestinian

The conflict in the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2014 was the most violent and destructive round of fighting experienced in Gaza in recent years. According to the UN, 2,205 Palestinians lost their lives, 18,000 homes throughout Gaza were damaged or destroyed and 108,000 Palestinians were left homeless. This unprecedented scale of death and destruction is not a matter of chance and should surprise no one – it is the result of a deliberate change in recent years in the way the Israeli army (IDF) conducts its wars.

This change began in 2005, when Professor Asa Kasher and Major General (res.) Amos Yadlin published a paper called “Military Ethics of Fighting Terror: An Israeli Perspective.” This paper offers a radically changed perspective on the IDF’s obligation to avoid harming innocent lives. It defines a “hierarchy of lives” with four levels. The lives of Israeli citizens come first, followed by the lives of IDF soldiers. The lives of enemy civilians come next and enemy combatants come last. This hierarchy determines that the army’s duty is to do everything in its power to prevent harm to IDF soldiers, even if it causes probable harm to the lives of innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

This doctrine shaped the IDF’s mode of action in Gaza and influenced the rules of engagement Israeli soldiers received last summer during Operation Protective Edge, as indicated in over 60 soldiers’ testimonies collected by Breaking the Silence. One testifier described the rules of engagement as follows: “The instructions are to shoot right away. Whoever you spot – be they armed or unarmed, no matter what. The instructions are very clear. Any person you run into, that you see with your eyes – shoot to kill. It’s an explicit instruction.” Instructions of this kind were given to soldiers of all ranks.

A second doctrine that shaped the IDF’s approach during Protective Edge was the “Dahiya Doctrine”, adopted by the IDF since the Second Lebanon War in 2006. In an interview in 2008, the IDF’s current Chief of Staff, Gadi Eizenkot (then head of the army’s Northern Command), described the doctrine bluntly: “What happened in the Dahiya quarter in Beirut in 2006 will happen in every village from which they fire at Israel. We will apply a disproportionate amount of force and cause massive damage and destruction. As far as we are concerned, these are military bases.” Major General (res.) Dr. Gabriel Siboni argued: “When the next confrontation breaks out, the IDF will need to act quickly, resolutely, and with unprecedented force against the threat and actions of the enemy, in order to harm and punish, on levels that will require long and expensive rehabilitative processes.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/any-person-you-see--shoot-to-kill-the-idf-doctrine-which-causes-the-death-of-innocent-palestinians-10225904.html

[bemildred]

29. Yeah, nobody wants propaganda. nt