Watch: Former IDF soldiers reveal nature of occupation

Mairav Zonszein By Mairav Zonszein May 16, 2011 | Edit

Breaking the Silence, the organization of former Israeli soldiers who literally “break their silence” by sharing experiences from their military service and exposing the IDF to criticism, launched a video campaign on YouTube this week in which soldiers are seen identifying themselves for the first time in front of the camera.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1AK5OS54-4&feature=channel_video_title[/youtube]

A formal launch event took place Monday evening in Jaffa, at a highly fitting venue called “Na LaGa’at” (Please Touch) a theater/restaurant space operated by the deaf and blind. The release of the video campaign marks another achievement for BTS, which has demonstrated not only that the testimonies are genuine and cannot be disregarded, but that increasing numbers of Israeli citizens are willing to go on record and speak out, despite the harsh criticism and attacks the organization has experienced and the fact that many Israelis see them as traitors.

The IDF has repeatedly stated that complaints should be made with the relevant authorities in the IDF and that because Breaking the Silence has not cooperated with them, there is no way for them to verify the allegations against them.

Here is another video of a former border policewoman.

Yesterday, BTS’ website was hacked and it was impossible to access it for most of the day. But now it is back up.

972mag.com was the first to publish the Breaking the Silence testimonies last December in a special release project.

Mairav Zonszein

Mairav Zonszein is a journalist and editor who writes about Israel-Palestine and its role in U.S. politics. Her publications include The Guardian, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New York Review of Books, The Intercept, VICE News, Foreign Policy and many more.

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