14 oct 2016
Soldiers in the Kfir Brigade accused of hazing and violent assault against fellow soldiers
An IDF Ombudsman report finds a sharp rise in verbal and physical violence of commanders against soldiers under their commands; ‘IDF commanders are required to emphasize more clearly that these lines are not to be crossed,’ says Head Ombudsman Ret. Maj. Gen. Yitzhak Brick.
A recent report put out by the IDF Ombudsman found a large number of complaints of soldiers who complained of being made to feel disrespected and humiliated, with some recounting situations where they were slapped and even beaten by their commanders. The mounting cases included in the report point to a serious rise in verbal and physical incidents of commanders against those serving under them.
During one such case, a soldier detailed an incident where his commander spoke to him in a demeaning manner, slapped and hit him on the back of his neck. An investigation found evidence to corroborate this account, as a pattern of crude and disparaging comments made by the commander in question to those under him emerged.
Another complaint recounted how a soldier who was feeling distressed asked his commander to see a mental health officer. His commander refused to approve the request, and when the soldier told him he was going to harm himself with a knife, his commander urged him to follow through, saying, “Go ahead and cut yourself, cut yourself if you’re a real man.” The soldier, in fact, did proceed to harm himself, and only after he did so was he referred to a mental health professional.
Head Ombudsman Ret. Maj. Gen. Yitzhak Brick responded to the report, stating that “IDF commanders are required to emphasize more clearly that these lines are not to be crossed, since crossing them raises a flag over the heads of the IDF commanders and soldiers. Any commander who crosses them is not fit to command.” He added that “These lines include insulting, abusive and humiliating physical violence or physical violence carried out by the commander. As commanders, mandatory service soldiers and officers, you must set an example in everything you do and take a stern and uncompromising attitude when faced with any act of violence, be it ‘light’ or severe.”
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit also responded to the report, saying, “It should be noted that the events listed there have already been addressed through the IDF chain of command.”
An IDF Ombudsman report finds a sharp rise in verbal and physical violence of commanders against soldiers under their commands; ‘IDF commanders are required to emphasize more clearly that these lines are not to be crossed,’ says Head Ombudsman Ret. Maj. Gen. Yitzhak Brick.
A recent report put out by the IDF Ombudsman found a large number of complaints of soldiers who complained of being made to feel disrespected and humiliated, with some recounting situations where they were slapped and even beaten by their commanders. The mounting cases included in the report point to a serious rise in verbal and physical incidents of commanders against those serving under them.
During one such case, a soldier detailed an incident where his commander spoke to him in a demeaning manner, slapped and hit him on the back of his neck. An investigation found evidence to corroborate this account, as a pattern of crude and disparaging comments made by the commander in question to those under him emerged.
Another complaint recounted how a soldier who was feeling distressed asked his commander to see a mental health officer. His commander refused to approve the request, and when the soldier told him he was going to harm himself with a knife, his commander urged him to follow through, saying, “Go ahead and cut yourself, cut yourself if you’re a real man.” The soldier, in fact, did proceed to harm himself, and only after he did so was he referred to a mental health professional.
Head Ombudsman Ret. Maj. Gen. Yitzhak Brick responded to the report, stating that “IDF commanders are required to emphasize more clearly that these lines are not to be crossed, since crossing them raises a flag over the heads of the IDF commanders and soldiers. Any commander who crosses them is not fit to command.” He added that “These lines include insulting, abusive and humiliating physical violence or physical violence carried out by the commander. As commanders, mandatory service soldiers and officers, you must set an example in everything you do and take a stern and uncompromising attitude when faced with any act of violence, be it ‘light’ or severe.”
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit also responded to the report, saying, “It should be noted that the events listed there have already been addressed through the IDF chain of command.”
Palestine Advocacy Project, an NGO based in the Boston area, has launched a series of ads portraying prominent Israeli officials, such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and their disregard for the safety and well-being of Palestinians.
These ads feature violent and bigoted direct quotations which highlight the contempt Israel’s US-backed leaders display for basic Palestinian human rights.
“If you do your own research, you’ll quickly find many more hateful quotes,” said Palestine Advocacy Project member Maggie Liu. “As a college student living on a politically-active campus, I know firsthand how little young people know about the reality of the situation. I hope these ads will bring some much-needed dialogue to campuses across the country.”
According to the PNN, nine universities across the United States, including Harvard, Boston University, Cornell, and University of California-Berkeley are publishing these ads in their newspapers. The ads quote a number of Israeli officials, such as Israeli deputy defense minister Rabbi Eli Ben Dahan, who asserted that Palestinians “are beasts, they are not human.” The ads all include a link to a webpage, (www.pal-ad.org/quotes) with additional quotes from Israeli leaders.
“It is beyond disturbing that someone in a position of power can say these things and not even flinch,” noted Farida El Hefni, a University of Rochester student. “How are these politicians that are so quick to accuse people of being anti-Israel or anti-Semitic the same ones using racist language to describe an entire group of people?”
Palestine Advocacy Project created these ads in order to spark conversation among young Americans on university campuses across the United States. The ads present a side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that is seldom featured in the American mainstream media. The indisputable, direct quotes from prominent Israeli officials are provocative, and in many cases, explicitly racist.
Palestine Advocacy Project has spent the past two years exposing the hypocrisy surrounding the U.S.’s relationship with Israel, and challenging negative stereotypes of Palestinians.
The “One Word” campaign, which was released in 2014, showcased the many forms of violence Palestinians are subjected to on a daily basis.
More recently, PalAd brought the works of Palestinian Poet Laureate Mahmoud Darwish to public spaces. This latest campaign, which focuses on the violent rhetoric of the upper echelons of Israeli political leadership, will give the American public new information on why the oppression of Palestinians continues.
“The sooner people realize that this isn’t just about conflict over land and that there are people literally calling for the erasure of Palestinians,” continues El Hefni, “the sooner we can get somewhere.”
07/22/16 Lieberman: Mahmoud Darwish Poem Comparable to ‘Mein Kampf’
These ads feature violent and bigoted direct quotations which highlight the contempt Israel’s US-backed leaders display for basic Palestinian human rights.
“If you do your own research, you’ll quickly find many more hateful quotes,” said Palestine Advocacy Project member Maggie Liu. “As a college student living on a politically-active campus, I know firsthand how little young people know about the reality of the situation. I hope these ads will bring some much-needed dialogue to campuses across the country.”
According to the PNN, nine universities across the United States, including Harvard, Boston University, Cornell, and University of California-Berkeley are publishing these ads in their newspapers. The ads quote a number of Israeli officials, such as Israeli deputy defense minister Rabbi Eli Ben Dahan, who asserted that Palestinians “are beasts, they are not human.” The ads all include a link to a webpage, (www.pal-ad.org/quotes) with additional quotes from Israeli leaders.
“It is beyond disturbing that someone in a position of power can say these things and not even flinch,” noted Farida El Hefni, a University of Rochester student. “How are these politicians that are so quick to accuse people of being anti-Israel or anti-Semitic the same ones using racist language to describe an entire group of people?”
Palestine Advocacy Project created these ads in order to spark conversation among young Americans on university campuses across the United States. The ads present a side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that is seldom featured in the American mainstream media. The indisputable, direct quotes from prominent Israeli officials are provocative, and in many cases, explicitly racist.
Palestine Advocacy Project has spent the past two years exposing the hypocrisy surrounding the U.S.’s relationship with Israel, and challenging negative stereotypes of Palestinians.
The “One Word” campaign, which was released in 2014, showcased the many forms of violence Palestinians are subjected to on a daily basis.
More recently, PalAd brought the works of Palestinian Poet Laureate Mahmoud Darwish to public spaces. This latest campaign, which focuses on the violent rhetoric of the upper echelons of Israeli political leadership, will give the American public new information on why the oppression of Palestinians continues.
“The sooner people realize that this isn’t just about conflict over land and that there are people literally calling for the erasure of Palestinians,” continues El Hefni, “the sooner we can get somewhere.”
07/22/16 Lieberman: Mahmoud Darwish Poem Comparable to ‘Mein Kampf’
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Palestine Advocacy Project Exposes US-Backed Israeli Leaders' Racist and Extremist Rhetoric
This election cycle, mainstream American politicians are lining up to condemn Donald Trump's racist, inflammatory rhetoric and repeated incitements of violence against political opponents. Yet in Israel, Trump's proposed apartheid wall already exists--across the occupied West Bank. More than 50 racist laws and counting directly target Palestinians with discrimination. Yet both the Democratic and Republican establishments, pandering to the well-funded Israel lobby, let Israel off the hook time and time again. Because, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put it, “I know what America is. America is a thing you can move very easily, move it in the right direction.” |
Palestine Advocacy Project has taken notable quotations from Israel's US-backed political leaders and displayed them in prominent media outlets across the U.S. Scroll through them below. Isn't it about time America's leaders started connecting the dots and holding Israel's leaders accountable?
While most Americans were horrified when Trump proposed banning all Muslims from entering the U.S. and repeatedly urged his supporters to beat up protesters, the Prime Minister of Israel says that the way to deal with Palestinians is to “beat them up, not once but repeatedly, beat them up so it hurts so badly, until it’s unbearable. ” Israel's Minister of Education says “I’ve killed lots of Arabs in my life – and there’s no problem with that.” Donald Trump believes in "taking out [terrorists'] families." Meanwhile, Israel's Minister of Justice calls for murdering all Palestinians on her Facebook page: “[Palestinians] are all enemy combatants, and their blood shall be on all their heads; now this also includes the mothers of the martyrs, who send them to hell with flowers and kisses.”
We think enough is enough. Join our fight to change the discussion about Israel and Palestine in the United States.
sourceShttp://imeu.org/article/extremism-incitement-to-racial-hatred-senior-israeli-officials-in-their-own
http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.702318
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/39692/fibi-netanyahu
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/192309#.Vmr_z7-udSE
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/03/10/israeli-foreign-minister-says-disloyal-arabs-should-be-beheaded/
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-election-lieberman-idUSKBN0M71PN20150311
http://mondoweiss.net/2015/08/soldiers-protesters-occupied
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/02/world/middleeast/rashomon-on-the-west-bank-israelis-and-palestinians-debate-images-of-soldier-and-child.html?_r=0
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/01/nabi-saleh-images-illustrate-changing-asymmetry-of-israeli-palestinian-conflict
http://www.thenation.com/article/prominent-israelis-flatten-gaza-or-send-it-back-middle-ages/
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/israel-s-minister-of-incitement-1.479125
https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/israeli-lawmakers-call-genocide-palestinians-gets-thousands-facebook-likes
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/05/07/israels-new-justice-minister-considers-all-palestinians-to-be-the-enemy/
http://www.timesofisrael.com/new-deputy-defense-minister-called-palestinians-animals/
http://972mag.com/next-head-of-civil-administration-said-palestinians-are-sub-human/106533/
https://books.google.com/books?id=l1OM6uwCnjIC&pg=PA169&lpg=PA169&dq=%22Some+say+it%27s+necessary+to+amputate+organs+but+at+the+moment+I+am+applying+chemotherapy.%22&source=bl&ots=Yu9Q_NbWQQ&sig=CznfvLL1PHgwyozqSD9Butgds2o&hl=en&sa=X&ei=1LE-Uev_IKu20AGotIDoCA#v=onepage&q=cancer&f=false
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/aug/27/israel
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4369335,00.html
http://www.theatlantic.com/daily-dish/archive/2010/07/quote-for-the-day/184582/
http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.663151
https://www.adalah.org/en/law/index
While most Americans were horrified when Trump proposed banning all Muslims from entering the U.S. and repeatedly urged his supporters to beat up protesters, the Prime Minister of Israel says that the way to deal with Palestinians is to “beat them up, not once but repeatedly, beat them up so it hurts so badly, until it’s unbearable. ” Israel's Minister of Education says “I’ve killed lots of Arabs in my life – and there’s no problem with that.” Donald Trump believes in "taking out [terrorists'] families." Meanwhile, Israel's Minister of Justice calls for murdering all Palestinians on her Facebook page: “[Palestinians] are all enemy combatants, and their blood shall be on all their heads; now this also includes the mothers of the martyrs, who send them to hell with flowers and kisses.”
We think enough is enough. Join our fight to change the discussion about Israel and Palestine in the United States.
sourceShttp://imeu.org/article/extremism-incitement-to-racial-hatred-senior-israeli-officials-in-their-own
http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.702318
http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/39692/fibi-netanyahu
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/192309#.Vmr_z7-udSE
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/03/10/israeli-foreign-minister-says-disloyal-arabs-should-be-beheaded/
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-election-lieberman-idUSKBN0M71PN20150311
http://mondoweiss.net/2015/08/soldiers-protesters-occupied
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/02/world/middleeast/rashomon-on-the-west-bank-israelis-and-palestinians-debate-images-of-soldier-and-child.html?_r=0
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/01/nabi-saleh-images-illustrate-changing-asymmetry-of-israeli-palestinian-conflict
http://www.thenation.com/article/prominent-israelis-flatten-gaza-or-send-it-back-middle-ages/
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/israel-s-minister-of-incitement-1.479125
https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/israeli-lawmakers-call-genocide-palestinians-gets-thousands-facebook-likes
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/05/07/israels-new-justice-minister-considers-all-palestinians-to-be-the-enemy/
http://www.timesofisrael.com/new-deputy-defense-minister-called-palestinians-animals/
http://972mag.com/next-head-of-civil-administration-said-palestinians-are-sub-human/106533/
https://books.google.com/books?id=l1OM6uwCnjIC&pg=PA169&lpg=PA169&dq=%22Some+say+it%27s+necessary+to+amputate+organs+but+at+the+moment+I+am+applying+chemotherapy.%22&source=bl&ots=Yu9Q_NbWQQ&sig=CznfvLL1PHgwyozqSD9Butgds2o&hl=en&sa=X&ei=1LE-Uev_IKu20AGotIDoCA#v=onepage&q=cancer&f=false
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/aug/27/israel
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4369335,00.html
http://www.theatlantic.com/daily-dish/archive/2010/07/quote-for-the-day/184582/
http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.663151
https://www.adalah.org/en/law/index
Irina Bokova
UNESCO's director general, Irina Bokova, spoke out harshly against the draft resolution that disregards the historical Jewish connection to Jerusalem; Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and Education Minister Naftali Bennett also condemned the draft resolution.
Israel suspended cooperation with UNESCO on Friday, a day after the UN cultural agency adopted a draft resolution that Israel says denies the deep, historic Jewish connection to holy sites in Jerusalem.
UNESCO's draft resolution, sponsored by several Arab countries, uses only the Islamic name for a hilltop compound sacred to both Jews and Muslims, which includes the Western Wall, a remnant of the biblical temple and the holiest site where Jews can pray. The validated resolution is expected early next week, but the wording is unlikely to change.
Israelis and many Jews around the world viewed it as the latest example of an ingrained anti-Israel bias at the United Nations, where Israel and its allies are far outnumbered by Arab countries and their supporters.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said he was "outraged" by the resolution. "Would UNESCO vote to deny the Christian connection to the Vatican? Or the Muslim connection to Mecca? The UNESCO vote claims that there is no connection between the Jewish people and the Western Wall. In fact, it is the UNESCO vote that has no connection to reality."
Education Minister Naftali Bennett informed UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova of Israel's decision on Friday.
"Following the shameful decision by UNESCO members to deny history and ignore thousands of years of Jewish ties to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, I have notified the Israel National Commission for UNESCO to suspend all professional activities with the international organization," Bennett said.
Israel captured east Jerusalem, with sites holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims, from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War. Palestinians claim the territory as part of their future state, and its fate is a central dispute.
Jews refer to the hilltop compound in Jerusalem's Old City as the Temple Mount, site of the two Jewish biblical temples. Muslims refer to it as the Noble Sanctuary, and it is home to the Al-Aqsa mosque and the golden Dome of the Rock. It is the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.
"The heritage of Jerusalem is indivisible, and each of its communities has a right to the explicit recognition of their history and relationship with the city," Bokova, the head of UNESCO, said in a statement, the second time that she has condemned the the body that she heads for its treatment of the Jewish connection to Jerusalem.
"To deny, conceal or erase any of the Jewish, Christian or Muslim traditions undermines the integrity of the site, and runs counter to the reasons that justified its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
"Nowhere more than in Jerusalem do Jewish, Christian and Muslim heritage and traditions share space and interweave to the point that they support each other," she continued. "These cultural and spiritual traditions build on texts and references, known by all, that are an intrinsic part of the identities and history of peoples. In the Torah, Jerusalem is the capital of King David, where Solomon built the Temple and placed the Ark of the Covenant.
In the Bible, Jerusalem is the city of the passion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the Koran, Jerusalem is the third holiest site in Islam, where Muhammad arrived after his night journey from Al Haram Mosq (Mecca) to Al Aqsa."
"In this microcosm of humanity’s spiritual diversity, different peoples worship the same places, sometimes under different names. The recognition, use of and respect for these names is paramount. The Al Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram al-Sharif, the sacred shrine of Muslims, is also the Har HaBayit – or Temple Mount – whose Western Wall is the holiest place in Judaism, a few steps away from the Saint Sepulcher and the Mount of Olives trees revered by Christians," she said.
"The outstanding universal value of the City, and the reason why it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, lies in this synthesis, which is an appeal for dialogue, not confrontation. We have a collective responsibility to strengthen this cultural and religious coexistence, by the power of acts and also by the power of words. This requirement is stronger than ever, to bridge the divisions that harm the multi-faith character of the Old City."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's government in the West Bank welcomed the resolution, as did Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza. A spokesman for Hamas, which is pledged to Israel's destruction, called it a "step in the right direction."
Related: Trump attacks UNESCO resolution in Facebook post
UNESCO's director general, Irina Bokova, spoke out harshly against the draft resolution that disregards the historical Jewish connection to Jerusalem; Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and Education Minister Naftali Bennett also condemned the draft resolution.
Israel suspended cooperation with UNESCO on Friday, a day after the UN cultural agency adopted a draft resolution that Israel says denies the deep, historic Jewish connection to holy sites in Jerusalem.
UNESCO's draft resolution, sponsored by several Arab countries, uses only the Islamic name for a hilltop compound sacred to both Jews and Muslims, which includes the Western Wall, a remnant of the biblical temple and the holiest site where Jews can pray. The validated resolution is expected early next week, but the wording is unlikely to change.
Israelis and many Jews around the world viewed it as the latest example of an ingrained anti-Israel bias at the United Nations, where Israel and its allies are far outnumbered by Arab countries and their supporters.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said he was "outraged" by the resolution. "Would UNESCO vote to deny the Christian connection to the Vatican? Or the Muslim connection to Mecca? The UNESCO vote claims that there is no connection between the Jewish people and the Western Wall. In fact, it is the UNESCO vote that has no connection to reality."
Education Minister Naftali Bennett informed UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova of Israel's decision on Friday.
"Following the shameful decision by UNESCO members to deny history and ignore thousands of years of Jewish ties to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, I have notified the Israel National Commission for UNESCO to suspend all professional activities with the international organization," Bennett said.
Israel captured east Jerusalem, with sites holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims, from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War. Palestinians claim the territory as part of their future state, and its fate is a central dispute.
Jews refer to the hilltop compound in Jerusalem's Old City as the Temple Mount, site of the two Jewish biblical temples. Muslims refer to it as the Noble Sanctuary, and it is home to the Al-Aqsa mosque and the golden Dome of the Rock. It is the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.
"The heritage of Jerusalem is indivisible, and each of its communities has a right to the explicit recognition of their history and relationship with the city," Bokova, the head of UNESCO, said in a statement, the second time that she has condemned the the body that she heads for its treatment of the Jewish connection to Jerusalem.
"To deny, conceal or erase any of the Jewish, Christian or Muslim traditions undermines the integrity of the site, and runs counter to the reasons that justified its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
"Nowhere more than in Jerusalem do Jewish, Christian and Muslim heritage and traditions share space and interweave to the point that they support each other," she continued. "These cultural and spiritual traditions build on texts and references, known by all, that are an intrinsic part of the identities and history of peoples. In the Torah, Jerusalem is the capital of King David, where Solomon built the Temple and placed the Ark of the Covenant.
In the Bible, Jerusalem is the city of the passion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the Koran, Jerusalem is the third holiest site in Islam, where Muhammad arrived after his night journey from Al Haram Mosq (Mecca) to Al Aqsa."
"In this microcosm of humanity’s spiritual diversity, different peoples worship the same places, sometimes under different names. The recognition, use of and respect for these names is paramount. The Al Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram al-Sharif, the sacred shrine of Muslims, is also the Har HaBayit – or Temple Mount – whose Western Wall is the holiest place in Judaism, a few steps away from the Saint Sepulcher and the Mount of Olives trees revered by Christians," she said.
"The outstanding universal value of the City, and the reason why it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, lies in this synthesis, which is an appeal for dialogue, not confrontation. We have a collective responsibility to strengthen this cultural and religious coexistence, by the power of acts and also by the power of words. This requirement is stronger than ever, to bridge the divisions that harm the multi-faith character of the Old City."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's government in the West Bank welcomed the resolution, as did Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza. A spokesman for Hamas, which is pledged to Israel's destruction, called it a "step in the right direction."
Related: Trump attacks UNESCO resolution in Facebook post