IDF soldiers: Problem in West Bank isn't Palestinains, it's Jews
'Our purpose there is to protect the Jews, but they generate many of the problems. It's very confusing,' says combat soldier discharged last year.
By Gili CohenRecent attacks by right-wing extremists on Israel Defense Forces soldiers in the West Bank are just one manifestation of the violence to which many have been subjected during their service in recent years. Both regular and reserve soldiers, including junior officers, spoke about the complicated situation they find themselves in: having to protect the settlers while at the same time being attacked by them.
"Our purpose there is to protect the Jews, but they generate many of the problems. It's very confusing," said Nadav Bigelman, a combat soldier who was discharged last year.
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Nadav Bigelman of Haifa. 'It’s the same people who bring you cake at 2 A.M.' |
| Photo by: Abdulla Shama |
"You understand pretty quickly what is going on, but it's not so clear what you are supposed to do about it," he said. "We never received an order telling us what to do when a Jewish boy throws stones at a Palestinian. Are we allowed to detain him or not? There's a gap between the battalion commander's instructions and what happens on the ground.
"It's the same people who bring you cake when you're on guard at 2 A.M.," he added. "What, are you going to arrest their kid when he throws stones the next day?"
As Haaretz reported on Thursday, the "new instructions" the prime minister issued this week to deal with Jewish rioters in the West Bank had for the most part already been in force on paper. But authority to act in principle does not always translate into clear orders out in the field. What counts there are the personal relations between settler leaders and IDF commanders.
A reservist platoon commander who served in the South Hebron Hills about three months ago said he had discussed the possibility of friction between settlers and Palestinians with his commanders beforehand. But nothing prepared him for the confrontation at the Mitzpeh Eshtamoa outpost, where settlers and Palestinians were in a face-off over grazing ground.
"We stood as a buffer between the Palestinian shepherds and the settlers and they [the settlers] started arguing with us," he related. "They said awful things to me: '[Ariel] Sharon evacuated Gaza, he got what was coming to him, don't worry, God will see to you too. Why do you come for reserve duty? You're a disgrace as soldiers.' They ranted and raved. We didn't know what to do, we were in shock. We thought the problem would be with the Palestinians, but the problem is with the Jews.
"There were 15 settlers swearing at us, not three. This is an entire community whose agenda is to treat soldiers like that. Even the chief security officer told us, 'listen, that's the way it is. In a few days they'll puncture my car tires.'
"These guys [the settlers] are out of control. I guard them, I'm responsible for protecting them and I know one day they'll sabotage my car. That's what is going on here," the reservist concluded.
A junior officer serving in the West Bank now said "the clashes with [settlers] are mainly at the checkpoints. They come to the checkpoints a lot and it's beneath their dignity to wait like others, so they break through and drive on. Not many harass us, but when the moment comes to inspect them, they humiliate us. They don't understand we're doing security work. They're not all like that, but the clashes with Jews at checkpoints are much worse than they are with Palestinians."
The situation in the West Bank has turned upside down, he said. "We used to have a code for Palestinians throwing stones. Today it's been reversed to indicate Jews are throwing stones at Palestinians."
Bigelman, today a researcher for the Breaking the Silence organization, served in Hebron in 2008. At the time he kept a "Hebron diary" documenting settlers' violent activities, from stone throwing to cursing Palestinians, tourists and left-wing activists. One day a settler attacked his battalion commander during an argument and tore his epaulets off.
"That's the clearest example," Bigelman said. "Here is a man who is sacrificing his life for them. Suddenly they don't like something he does, and that's the way they react?
"And if it happens to your commander, what does it say about you? That you can't do anything. You hate it. You hate being there. You know whom you're protecting but you don't understand why you have to pay such a price for it."
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an observation which people may not want to agree with because its provocative, usually those confused are liberals or those with left wing tendencies or both :) smile... you know when you've been tangoed!
All is fair in love and civil war in the welfare state of Israel...
Self-Denial on a country-wide, collective scale. Its nice to hear a bit of truth finally.
The buck stops with the PM and the head of the IDF. No we know, due to lack of orders, who issues the licenses for the settlers to behave like this...
Give this ex soldier a chance, he is obviously trying to come to terms with the stuff he was brainwashed with and is very young. Let him tell his story- he is being honest and courageous.
He's right jews are the problem. Lets have a one state solution to the Apartheid state.
There have been far too many events in the West Bank when instead of taking action, the IDF has chosen to sit back and focus on protecting itself, thus letting the settlers down. You are right to think that the situation is complicated. You would be dead wrong to think that some officers in the IDF have not forsaken their duties and thus let down the settlers.
In 1920,the response to Arab violence,riots and murders was creation of Haganah.It seems that 91 years later,Arab violence,riots and murders are about to create another Haganah like movement.And who can blame them after Arabs butchered 2 month old baby?
This anti semetic. This guy is obviously a self hating Jew.
Yes, There are Jews who act in a very inappropriate manner, but they do not represent the 300,000 Jewish residents of Eastern Israel. Let us be clear about that. Just like Hamas terrorist do not represent all Arabs. We are speaking of a few dozen people who are badly behaved and perhaps emotionally disturbed that treat IDF soldiers in a poor way and destroy property. The remaining hundreds of thousands of Jews in the East are upstanding citizens and are law abiding.
That puts its finger at the root cause of this problem i.e. the IDF's "purpose there" is to be an army of occupation, and that's how it should behave. Its job is to maintain law and order, not to aid its own carpet-baggers. Get It? No? An army of occupation Isn't Supposed To Let The Carpet-Baggers Be In There. *sheesh* That ain't exactly a difficult concept to grasp.
the situation with the Palestinians is completely different...that's because anything goes vis a vis them. No need to worry about dignity or human rights. You know it, they know it....as long as the settlers know the IDF is conflicted about dealing with them seriously things will only get worse
Are you that cheaply bought?
every time they do that to you, you kick 'em in the groin and then butt whip them with your weapon when they hit the ground - do what you'd do to a Palestinian - and if you do that EVERY time it happens, without the slightest hesitation, guarantee you it'll stop! But it IS good to know that you don't lift a finger to protect Palestinians...only the worthless vermin who torment them daily - under YOUR protectiion!
the Palestinians would like to see this representative sample of Israeli society , namely the IDF and settlers , the only Israeli sample they are in contact with , depart and never ome back....
you are there to protect them, sometimes eat cake, and sometimes to arrest them. there is no contradiction here. they throw stones break their hands; they swear slap them in the mouth. both jews and arabs understand force. some are able to regulate themselves others need authority with guns. you've the gun, use it.
My son included and he is no political activist, or part of any movement. . Breaking the Silence may not be helpful but this particular story I have heard from my own son w ho served in the same area..
It's because he's an Israeli. He didn't join the organization before joining the army. That happened after the fact. It doesn't matter who funds the organization. They're not forcing him to say anything he doesn't want to say. That's ridiculous.
There are numerous reports stating the same problems. And if you don't believe them either then just go to some of these settlements or to Hebron and see for yourself. Trying to dismiss the issue by defaming this individual speaks of utter desperation by the apologists for settler violence.
IDF soldiers reveal that Netanyahu's program to force a third infitada isn't working well enough. Why don't those IDF soldiers do anything to stop the depraved crimes of the Settlers? Answer. This article is 100% Bull Shit.
On fews words, sttlers are a desgrace and will destroy the zions dreams"!!
The hunter has now become the hunted.i think that idf are weak when it comes to jews but,strong when it comes to palestine cases.the wicked ways of segretiong and occupation are catching up with isrealie army.
It's seems clearer each day that the extremist elements amongst the settlers are a major obstacle to maintaining law and order, and to the wider peace process. The IDF needs to apply the rule of law evenly to both Palestinians and Jews, and not tolerate the kind of behaviour we've seen recently. Why not kill two birds with one stone, and simply allow the smaller, more militant, settlements to be included in a new Palestinian state? This meets one of the major Palestinian demands, and also rids the state of Israel from these people, who quite frankly, are a pain in the arse. They can always choose to relocate to Israel if they don't fancy living under Palestinian rule, but if they are "true believers" in a greater Eretz Israel, then surely their religious belief in the land is more important than the state they live in, right?
Why should they just have to take your garbage? No, just because you go to someone elses country and start an enclave there doesn't mean you can then annex that place to your nation - if any of them want to stay in the Settlements of the West Bank they could just become Palestinians
Let us deal first with the root cause of the problem, which is, the arabs a.k. a "balestinians" occupying jewish land. WB is part of Jerusalem which is the capital city of Israel. Any other entity claiming different is the occupying force and has to be understood as such.
Especially inview of the recent revelation of the invented people that has been in media last week.
for stating the truth. I guess the poor guy will be given a hard time for his honesty.
It takes experience ex IDF members to speak out the truth. They have no chains tying them to the establishment, and their personal experience can now be known first hand, to what may or may not be going on. It is easy for folks in denial to dismiss them.
Someone who thinks that peace is radical.
The two state solution. Return the West Bank to the Palestinians. Settlers can become Jewish citizens of a Palestinian state if they insist staying on their hill tops. Stop funding them, wasting taxpayer money on maintaining the army there, supplying them with infrastructure and protection. Obviously they do not appreciate the army anyway!
Its called Jordan. Created by Britain on 78% of Eretz Israel as a home for Palestinian Arabs. You can't return the West Bank to the Palestinians because it wasn't theirs to begin with. Its difficult for Jews to be in a Palestinian state when Arabs want to exterminate the Jews. I'm sure the Settlers do appreciate the army, just not the self-hating Leftist scum like this fool.