Israel in new storm over Facebook images

Israel in new storm over Facebook images
By Tobias Buck in Jerusalem
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010
Published: August 17 2010 17:11 | Last updated: August 17 2010 17:11
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0d8166e0-aa12-11df-9367-00144feabdc0.html


The Israeli army was facing fresh controversy on Tuesday, after more private pictures emerged of soldiers posing next to bound and blind-folded Palestinian prisoners.

The military had earlier issued sharp criticism of a female conscript who posted snapshots of Palestinian prisoners on her Facebook page.

The pictures showed the smiling young woman standing or sitting next to bound and blind-folded captives. They were posted under the caption “IDF [Israel Defence Forces] – the best time of my life”.

A spokesman for the army said the behaviour of Eden Abergil, who completed her army service last year, was “disgraceful” and “in total opposition to the values and ethical code” of the Israeli military. However, the army also stressed that Ms Abergil’s actions did not represent the “norm”.

That claim came under attack on Tuesday, after a batch of similar pictures was posted on Facebook by Breaking the Silence, a group that collects testimonies from former and serving Israeli soldiers. The group also issued a statement attacking the army’s claims: “This picture is not the ugly behaviour of one person, but a norm throughout the army...that is a result of military rule over a civilian population over a long time.”

Breaking the Silence added: “We suggest that the IDF spokesman not insult the intelligence of the Israeli public, and clarify that it is a widespread phenomenon, not an aberration caused by a single soldier.”

The latest pictures showed Israeli soldiers together with either dead or captured Palestinians. One showed two male soldiers standing over an apparently dead Palestinian, with their feet placed triumphantly on the man’s body. Another snapshot shows a soldier kneeling and pointing his gun at a half-naked Palestinian lying on the ground of a greenhouse. It is not clear whether the Palestinian is dead or alive.

Ms Abergil, who spoke to Israeli radio on Tuesday, said she had not intended to harm anyone by posting her photos but added that her actions were far from unusual: “This is something that happens every day in the army,” she said.