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Last update - 08:19 25/02/2008 Something bad is happening to us By Haaretz Editorial Tags: human rights, occupation  Three years ago, the CBS television network broadcast photos of American soldiers abusing prisoners in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. The horrifying pictures led to the trials of eight soldiers, dismissals and a storm of outrage in America. At the trial of one prison guard, who was sentenced to eight years in jail, a psychologist gave his evaluation: that the man was an entirely ordinary person, without any particular violent tendencies, who served as a guard for many years in civilian life but never behaved sadistically toward American prisoners. The situation of occupier and occupied, as opposed to that of citizen versus citizen, causes ordinary people to become violent and lose restraint. At Abu Ghraib, the trial found, there was institutionalized contempt at every level. The prison guards understood that "this is the way to behave here." Last night, the investigative television program "Fact" broadcast pictures of our own Abu Ghraib affair. It is doubtful whether a country that has grown used to 40 years of occupation, and the stories that accompany it, will be shocked. We have become accustomed to treating the Palestinians as inferior people. Generations come and go, and new soldiers abuse the residents of occupied Hebron in almost the same manner. Stories similar to those broadcast last night were exposed by the Breaking the Silence group three years ago. The saying "occupation corrupts" has become a slogan of the left instead of a warning signal to everyone. This time, it was regular soldiers in the Kfir Brigade. They exposed their backsides and sexual organs to Palestinians, pressed an electric heater to the face of a young boy, beat young boys senseless, recorded everything on their mobile phones and sent it to their friends. One of their "mischievous acts" was to test how long a Palestinian who was being choked could survive without breathing. When he passed out, the experiment was stopped. The soldiers described activities to "break the routine" that consisted entirely of abuse. It was enough for a boy "to look at us the wrong way" for him to be beaten. Advertisement Earlier, at the trial of First Lieutenant Yaakov Gigi, officers spoke of burnout, of "something bad happening to the brigade," of a Wild West, of a moral crisis. The commander of the brigade, Colonel Itai Virov, said "we failed on several parameters." His words reflect a denial of the depth of the failure. This continuing routine, far from the eyes of the commanders, must lead to a series of investigations, and perhaps to dismissals as well. It is unconscionable for the head of the Hebron Brigade, the division commander, the GOC Central Command and even the chief of staff to ignore the ongoing behavior of soldiers in the brigade responsible for routine security in the West Bank. Colonel Virov admitted that there was a conspiracy of silence in the brigade - in other words, a norm of abuse and its concealment. To change norms, one has to shock and be shocked, not be satisfied with a few imprisonments and empty words about a loss of values. Perfectly ordinary people, as the American psychologist said of the Abu Ghraib abusers, are capable of behaving like monsters when they receive a message from the top that it is permissible to abuse, beat, choke, burn, make people miserable and generally do anything that man's evil genius is capable of inventing to others who are under their control. Something bad is happening to us, they are saying in the Kfir Brigade. That "something" is the occupation. Bookmark to del.icio.us   The Chancellor's visit Angela Merkel arrives in Israel to 'open new chapter' in bilateral ties. London paying Netanyahu says PR trip to U.K. wasn't funded by Israeli taxpayer.   1.   Something bad 10:40  |  English Resident 25/02/08   2.   # 1 No doubt about it 13:45  |  A.M. 25/02/08   3.   Serious action must be taken 14:05  |  MarkC 25/02/08   4.   Where are the followers of the mantra now? 14:32  |  Mark B. 25/02/08   5.   It has been said before 16:27  |  zeev 25/02/08   6.   Occupier? Occupied? 17:22  |  David 25/02/08   7.   Not "inferior people": Enemy 17:54  |  Andras Bereny 25/02/08   8.   something bad 18:06  |  mo 25/02/08   9.   SHUT UP WITH YOUR "OCCUPATION" 18:18  |  MOONBATLEFTIST GUANO 25/02/08   10.   this is the true face of so called demoracy of Isreal 18:40  |  US person 25/02/08   11.   Unthinkable 19:49  |  Hutch E. 25/02/08   12.   missing words 20:32  |  al 25/02/08   13.   Ordinary men 20:46  |  David Igra 25/02/08   14.   The trouble is Israelis are mostly zombies 21:01  |  Chanalau, Tova 25/02/08   15.   better way for IDF and Israel to address palestinien threats 21:09  |  saackk 25/02/08   16.   It has been said before 23:00  |  zeev 25/02/08   17.   This is not our way 23:53  |  Dimitri 25/02/08   18.   This will end badly for Israel 00:36  |  spyguy 26/02/08   19.   then and now 01:01  |  ron 26/02/08   20.   bad is the result of gods madness 01:16  |  king k 26/02/08   21.   Something bad is happening 01:43  |  Joe 26/02/08   22.   The behaviour sounds familiar 02:18  |  Marlene N. 26/02/08   23.   Slogan of the Left cause Right Minded people disbelieve hogwash 03:45  |  Efox 26/02/08   24.   re: zeev 03:48  |  Efox 26/02/08   25.   re: Dimitri 03:49  |  Efox 26/02/08   26.   Marlene N. Hits the nail squarly on the head 03:51  |  Johan Odin 26/02/08   27.   re: Joe 03:51  |  Efox 26/02/08   28.   re: Marlene N. 03:53  |  Efox 26/02/08   29.   re: A.M. 03:55  |  Efox 26/02/08   30.   Absolutely not our way 04:01  |  Mojshe 26/02/08   31.   hey Efox 06:13  |  jake 26/02/08   32.   MENGELE AND HEISS 06:39  |  indrajaya 26/02/08   33.   Quiet from the crowd of Hawks 06:40  |  Denise 26/02/08   34.   Not your way - what is your way? 06:47  |  jj burke 26/02/08   35.   What the news? 07:34  |  Niva dos santos 26/02/08   36.   #9, Yes its your way! 07:37  |  Niva dos santos 26/02/08   37.   Where`s the news? 08:17  |  Tired 26/02/08   38.   if you want good news about Israel try Al Hayat or Al Jazeera 08:25  |  aldalwat 26/02/08   39.   Investigations NOW 08:32  |  Dafna 26/02/08   40.   it already has and defeat is around the corner 08:36  |  Mark 26/02/08   41.   #22 08:48  |  Mark 26/02/08   42.   Something bad is happening to us 09:14  |  Ephraim Ben-Zeev 26/02/08   43.   England and Denmark have been doing the same in Afghanistan 10:22  |  Absolute Sweden 26/02/08   44.   Israel is ugly state 11:43  |  Danny 26/02/08   45.   @Efox + @jj burke 12:16  |  Dimitri 26/02/08   46.   The bad thing that`s happening is due to Oslo&Itnatkut Processes 12:35  |  Eretz Israel Shelanu 26/02/08   47.   Israel: promoting equality betw. the two is necessary 12:41  |  AliciaYasmeen 26/02/08   48.   It`s depressing... 17:27  |  Vim 26/02/08   49.   243 Absolute Sweden, welcome in the liberal Leftist camp. 17:59  |  Mark B. 26/02/08   50.   the most ethical and humanistic military 21:35  |  Jack 26/02/08   51.   Something bad IS happening ? 23:32  |  bruce 26/02/08   52.   This Israel needs to go 00:27  |  Iranian-American 27/02/08   53.   Hutch E. in Dearborn MI 12:49  |  Dror 27/02/08   54.   san francisco bruce 12:55  |  Dror 27/02/08   55.   bad things 18:51  |  botswana 27/02/08   56.   re: jake 08:05  |  Efox 28/02/08

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