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In a comprehensive study that we are publishing this month, Avrum Tomer analyzes 100 testimonies reported over recent years by the 'Breaking the Silence' (Shovrim Shtika) organization. The study reveals significant disparity between the conclusions published by the organization regarding IDF conduct and the documented findings themselves. Later in the newsletter, you can find updates on the activities of the Institute and 'Blue and White Human Rights' during recent weeks. Among others, you can read about the connection between Arab pupils from Ramla and the combat soldier from the 'Duvdevan' unit murdered in Ramallah.
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Much has been written in recent years about the organization's extremist agenda and its foreign sources of finance, however our study seeks to emphasize the flaws of logic behind the conclusions it presented to the media.
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In light of the organization's statements regarding the army's systematic immoral conduct, we initiated a study during which we rigorously examined 100 of the testimonies presented by 'Breaking the Silence' according to selected criteria: the time and location of the incident, the military context, the type of infringement described, the broader context and others, with the objective of delving into the testimonies and examining the validity of the conclusions drawn from them as presented by 'Breaking the Silence'.
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The study indicates a number of fundamental flaws in the testimonies presented in the 'Breaking the Silence' documents: a biased choice of the friction points and subjects of criticism, a dearth of identifying details necessary to verify the content of the testimonies, and lack of context. These problems undermine the validity of the conclusions drawn from the testimonies with regard to the assessment of the conduct of the IDF, its soldiers, and commanders in the described scenarios.
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Among others, the study revealed that in more than 70% of the cases, the lack of context renders any understanding of the incident simply impossible. Frequently, the former soldiers themselves testify that they are unaware of the reasons and considerations that lay behind the operational decision they are criticizing.
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Furthermore, the concentration of testimonies that relate to the period of the Intifada, undermines the claim according to which they represent an accurate representation of the general IDF conduct in Judea and Samaria. To the contrary, it highlights the immediate security constraints that justify the restriction of movement that form the core of approximately half the testimonies.
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We were supposed to meet Ronen Lubarsky Z"L as part of contribution to the community together with his team and the class from the ORT Ramla high-school participating in the 'Biglal HaRuach' program. We never imagined that such tragic circumstances would prevent us from ever getting to know him.
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Influenced by his attendance at Ronen's funeral, Yossi Salomon, the class instructor and himself a graduate of the elite IDF Duvdevan Unit, decided to nevertheless conduct a special class activity which he dedicated to Ronen's memory.
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He summarizes: "One of the things repeated at the funeral was Ronen's constant aspiration to become a better person. This was apparently such a strong characteristic that not only did almost everyone mention it, they also succeeded in feeling it themselves. At the end of the activity, all the pupils, both Jews and Arabs (it is a mixed class), spoke of their reaction to the tragedy and told of how they intended to continue Ronen's legacy by becoming better people."
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Ideally, we shouldn't need such a tragedy to make such resolutions, however the Israeli reality with which we are all so familiar is a harsh one and the little that we can do is to perpetuate the memory of those who sacrificed themselves for us to have a better life here.
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At the end of the activity, and as if to demonstrate the strong desire to live in peace here – the pupils, who only moments previously had posed for a photo with the sign they prepared in Ronen's memory and who never even entertained the possibility of enlisting for significant combat service, turned to Yossi and asked for his advice and help in signing up for a more meaningful role in the IDF. For us, this too is part of Ronen's legacy.
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Our initiative took a huge leap forward this month with the participation of the Paraguayan President, Horacio Cartes, in our geopolitical tour.
During his state visit to mark the transfer of his country's embassy to Jerusalem, the president dedicated two hours to studying Jerusalem's core issues on a special tour arranged for him and the presidential delegation.
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We also participated this month in an international initiative of city tours - 'Jane's Walk' - during which 20 participants from all over the country toured the mixed Abu Tor neighborhood and learned about its residents' special co-existence.
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Preliminary discussions began at the Knesset this month ahead of the final approval of 'The Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People'. Although it was only the seventh item on the agenda, the discussions, led by committee chairman MK Amir Ohana, began with debate about the issue of the country's official languages.
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Why, you ask? Watch the explanation given by the Institute's representative on the committee, Adi Arbel, about the inescapable connection between bilingualism and bi-nationalism. |
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- The Institute CEO, Miri Shalem, was interviewed by Yediot Aharonot on the significance of the cancellation of the Argentinian soccer team's visit to Israel for the continued struggle against BDS.
- Miri also participated in an item on the Israeli Educational Television about the struggle for preserving the character of Beit Shemesh.
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- [English] Yoaz Hendel was interviewed by the US business magazine 'Bloomberg' in which he analyzed the political capital accumulated by Netanyahu during recent weeks.
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The following articles were published by members of the Institute and contain references to a wide range of issues on the public agenda:
- [English] Institute Chairman, Dr. Yoaz Hendel, claims Isarel's honeymoon with Trump does not bode well for the future, in light of the growing polarization of US politics (Yediot Aharonot).
- Institute CEO, Miri Shalem, summarizes the State Comptroller's report on the Ministry of Health and its head Yaakov Litzman (Makor Rishon).
- [English] Founding Chairman of the Institute, Yisrael Harel, explains why we will undergo repeated rounds of fighting in the Gaza Strip (Ha'aretz).
- Director of the 'Blue and White Human Rights' Program, Nave Dromi, defends secular Jewish culture (Ha'aretz).
- [English] Nicolas Nisim Touboul, the Institute's projects coordinator, details the challenges and opportunities at the crossing points between Jerusalem and the Palestinian Authority (The Jerusalem Post).
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