1. Breaking the Silence
This is about the organization and its founders, a day at their office, the experience of the author of the article and his Hebron tour with the BTS and although it is a very long text, it's most definitely worth reading:
http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/crying-out-loud-1.325558
2. Might be a good example of how testimonies collected by the BTS affect certain processes
in the army:
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/mess-report-gaza-war-probes-are-changing-israel-s-defiant-ways-1.303316
3. (A little bit about Ashkenazi's response to the allegations reported by the BTS)
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/idf-chief-on-ethics-issues-our-camp-must-be-pure-1.280944
4. There is a short paragraph about a serious allegation made by the BTS:
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/between-the-lines-when-the-chief-of-staff-speaks-1.280910
(On combat ethics: For the first time the IDF is providing a direct response to a specific claim raised in the report by Breaking the Silence regarding the use of the "neighbor procedure" by the army's elite Egoz unit.) This Neighbor procedure is using human shields.5. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/news-in-brief-1.250696
A "news in brief" section from 2008 that reports about Hebron Brigade's complaint about the BTS and other peace activists, claiming that these people are creating frictions between Jews and Arabs. I don't know these people personally and haven't had the chance to observe their internal operations and whatnot. BUT I really don't think it is the BTS nor other NGOs that ignite the fuel for frictions there. If you do "control+F" and search for Breaking the Silence, you'll get to the paragraph in the text.6. Also interesting and worth reading until almost the very end:
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/welcome-to-year-41-1.247234
7. Also a very significant article that requires to be read fully:
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/when-everything-is-permissible-1.160541
8. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/an-end-to-double-standards-1.146249
An article from 2005 about "The double standard used with the settlers even now as they strike soldiers, burn military jeeps and cut off a post from its water supply raises the question whether the silence of ministers in the face of the violence this week toward soldiers..."9. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/what-society-should-know-1.143410
I would have liked to know - and in fact I decided to ask blatantly to Palestinians - if the Palestinians are actually criticizing their brutal actions against Israeli and Palestinian civilians, if there was/is a body within PLO or PA or even Hamas that investigates and punishes the alleged crimes against civilians? This kind of a responsibility should be expected from all political/military-related organizations, whether it's a state or not. But so far, this is one of the articles I found interesting on the part of IDF and how they handle the wrongdoings. Also includes the BTS as a source for allegations.How I despise war and the brutality that may follow after a killing that was committed in order to defend oneself should be ackowledged. And these stories are not peculiar to the IDF or Hamas or PA. But to all wars in the human history. And it is not just a crime against civilians, but also against the soldiers who are used as tools for these crimes.
10. http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/it-can-happen-here-1.140958
I am dying to find out if there is an article such as this in any of the Palestinian or Arabic media or an NGO publication that calls out to the armed forces of resistance to take a minute and dedicate it to self-criticism, in order to not justify their killings of civilians and then abusing their dead bodies but to "to restore human dignity to the Palestinians and the soldiers. Until then, PA and Hamas must take urgent action to create a new atmosphere in its ranks. The suspension and immediate trial of militants suspected of such crimes - no matter what their ranks are crucial for building the State of Palestine's moral backbone." Also I wonder if Hamas or PA would let Palestinians or the world know about the refusals to serve, refusals to join the acts of violence against the civilians, for instance what happens if a live bomb decides not to explode himself? I do believe that Palestinian civilians are victims of so many atrocities committed by the IDF and Hamas and PA. But that should not be an excuse for procrastination of self-criticism. And if there are cases where Palestinians are refusing to join the armed battles and wanting to testify to the atrocities they committed but they are not allowed to, the international NGOs must make it a priority to help them to expose these stories.
11. http://www.haaretz.com/general/bloody-this-dirty-linen-1.148530
Again, a very very interesting article about the comparison of a letter sent to IDF chief of staf by four honorable officers from the special forces unit in the air force who didn't want to make it a public announcement, trusted the IDF that they will take the appropriate actions for their serious allegations, with the Breaking the Silence group. Such as "The IDF is complaining that the soldiers did not report what they saw to their commanding officers, but is nevertheless taking the group seriously. Ya'alon (the chief of staff) mentions Breaking the Silence regularly, and the group's reports prompted the army to establish a team, headed by the commander of Officers School, Colonel Gal Hirsh, examining the combat values of the IDF in the confrontation in the territories. Members of the movement have been invited to appear before two meetings of the IDF and the Border Police." It also reports us some acts of responsibility on the IDF's part. Something we rarely see in the US army, or Turkish army for that matter. Heck the latter is a phenomenon all by itself!12. http://www.haaretz.com/general/bloody-this-dirty-linen-1.148530
An article about the testimonies, the IDF's reaction and some interesting stories with a notable remark from the Paratroops commander Battalion in Nablus at the time. This is from 2005.
There were 20 pages to go through after doing a search for "Breaking the Silence" in Haaretz archives. I read all articles related to them, several statements from IDF, testimonies etc and put in here the ones I saw worth sharing. It's time consuming though!
And here are some of these articles without my comments:
13. This is actually a short article on the writer's trip to Hebron with Breaking the Silence:
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/i-am-not-declaring-loyalty-1.302727
14. And then you have these guys:
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/hamas-israel-has-two-options-death-or-leaving-palestinian-lands-1.332867
15. Or hypocrites such as:
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/turkey-pm-israel-to-blame-for-deadlock-in-mideast-peace-talks-1.331867
16. And this:
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/abbas-to-israeli-mks-in-ramallah-help-us-not-miss-the-chance-for-peace-1.331486
17. And this:
http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/a-special-place-in-hell/we-all-owe-israel-s-racist-rabbis-a-vote-of-thanks-1.330565
18. And this as a response:
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/leading-rabbi-denounces-colleagues-edict-against-renting-homes-to-non-jews-1.329769
19. And this is from state officials regarding the issue. However, they have yet to do more than just condemning these rabbies.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/barak-anti-arab-letters-by-rabbis-and-rabbis-wives-leading-israel-into-dark-place-1.334093
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/in-wake-of-anti-arab-letters-defense-minister-rails-against-wave-of-racism-threatening-country-1.334157
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