I won`t lie, I was shocked and nauseated by when I read the soldiers` testimonies in Haaretz (and I commend the paper`s courage for publishing them). This isn`t what I was raised to believe about Israel. It is after all, the Jewish state. That`s supposed to mean something more than mere demographics - it`s supposed to mean Israel conducts itself according to the Jewish way.
That said, I cannot help but roll my eyes the proposition that the IDF is now somehow less moral than other armies. Has anyone here ever read anything about the war in Vietnam? We haven`t read anything like this coming from Iraq or Afghanistan, but that probably has more to do with the U.S. Army`s superior skill at keeping its soldiers` mouths shut and the pathetic state of our media than with the military`s actual conduct. Then there`s the Russian foray into Georgia...
Does any of this excuse the IDF? Absolutely not. But it`s worth keeping in mind. |
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