Last week revealed Haaretz that anyone who crosses the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza is shot. It is not the first time Israel’s military has used the strategy, according to Nadav Weiman, who now heads the veteran organization Breaking the Silence:
– When I fought in Gaza in 2012, the war plan was the same. This is how the military controls an area. With buffer zones, they are dead zones without signs or fences.
Breaking the silence has existed since 2004 and works explicitly for Israel’s occupation to end. By sharing the testimonies of ex-soldiers, they want to show the outside world what the Israeli army is doing in the occupied territories. They believe that many Israelis are unaware of what reality looks like.
Different directives on the West Bank and Gaza
The West Bank calls Weiman an “occupation via settlements” with 500,000 settlers, 134 settlements, 140 unauthorized outposts and over 20,000 soldiers.
In the West Bank, where he was a sniper, the rules were clear: don’t shoot to kill unless a potential attacker has the means, opportunity and intent to attack.
– If all three are not met, you may only shoot from the knees downwards.
In contrast, Weiman describes the occupation of Gaza as “much more violent”. With stricter orders than in the West Bank since the second intifada in 2000.
According to testimonies from Gaza, even the soldiers’ directives are different there.
– In areas where we carry out ground invasion after dropping leaflets, the rules are: shoot to kill all men of military age.
“Easy to order airstrikes”
Weiman describes that commanders of “very low rank” can now order airstrikes. He gives examples from northern Gaza:
– The military came out and confirmed that “we destroyed a house and 94 civilians died”. This is because an armed man was seen on the roof, he says and continues:
– We kill without thinking. Palestinian lives, from Israeli eyes, are worth almost nothing.
According to Weiman, this is how Israel’s military has operated since 1967.
The government: Spreading lies
Breaking the silence has repeatedly met with resistance. The Netanyahu government has actively opposed them, saying the organization spreads lies that damage Israel’s reputation.
Among other things, the government has passed a law specifically targeting the organization in an attempt to cut off funding and ban them from speaking at secondary schools.