testimonies

A Palestinian woman examines the damage in her house after a night raid by Israeli soldiers, Balata Refugee Camp, West Bank, January 3, 2017. (Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org)

‘We were armed, we destroyed her kitchen, and we moved on’

Israelis like to think that military home invasions are only for security reasons. Former soldiers — and Palestinian families — know that's not the truth.

By Nadav Weiman December 10, 2020

An IDF post inside a Palestinian home (photo: breaking the silence)

Why is Matti Friedman so mad at Breaking the Silence?

A former AP reporter who crusades against the international media’s alleged anti-Israel bias takes aim at the Israeli NGO of veteran soldiers in an article that is long on … well, length. But short on substance. By Mairav Zonszein and Lisa Goldman Earlier this month, the Israeli NGO Breaking the Silence released a report about…

By Mairav Zonszein May 16, 2015

File photo of settlers threatening Israeli activists and Palestinians with sticks in front of the Ma´on settlement, South Hebron hills. (Photo by: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

‘I realized violence came from settlers, not Palestinians’

On the occasion of 10 years since the founding of Breaking the Silence, a former IDF soldier talks about how he came to understand the immorality of the mission his country sent him on, and Israeli society’s silence surrounding it. By Shay Davidovich The drive down Highway 5, heading east into the Occupied Territories, can…

By +972 Magazine June 5, 2014

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Illustration: Soldier aiming grenade launcher directly at demonstrator, Nabi Saleh (Yotam Ronen / ActiveStills)

Testimony: Soldier fired directly at Bil’in demonstrator killed in 2009

New light is shed on the shooting death of non-violent demonstrator Bassem Abu Rahme in Bil’in in 2009: A soldier who served in the same brigade as the shooter testifies how the incident was perceived by other soldiers. The testimony strengthens the claim that the shot was fired against army regulations. “The guy who shot…

By Haggai Matar December 19, 2012

Demonstration against wall in Al Ma'asara (Activestills)

Testimonies by Israeli soldiers detail abuse of Palestinian children

Breaking the Silence, an organization of Israelis who served in the IDF and work to expose human rights violations committed by Israel, released today a collection of soldiers’ testimonies called Children and Youth, Soldiers’ Testimonies 2005-2011. The report attests to the mistreatment of Palestinian children, still taking place, years after the peak of the Second Intifada. +972…

By Mairav Zonszein August 26, 2012