Ex Shin Bet head, ex IDF general defend Breaking the Silence

Published: 19 December 2015

Last updated: 4 March 2024

Why Breaking the Silence became the most hated group in Israel – Anshel Pfeffer – Haaretz 17.12.15
The campaign to delegitimise a group of combat soldiers who are shining a light on the darker side of Israeli military operations is a sign of how big a threat it is to the comfortable consensus.
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Ex-IDF general takes out ad to support Breaking the Silence – The Times of Israel 18.12.15
Amiram Levin, former head of IDF Northern Command, commander of the elite Sayeret Matkal unit and deputy director of Mossad, backs NGO that publishes alleged abuses by soldiers, says army should encourage such groups to speak out

Former Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin defends Breaking the Silence
In Facebook post, Diskin says it is important to Israeli democracy: ‘We are a country that controls another people in Judea and Samaria and operates different legal systems for Israeli citizens and the Palestinian residents of the area. It’s clear that the situation is very complex. ... It’s good that there are journalists and good that there are NGOs monitoring the activities of the various security agencies operating in the field. ... One doesn’t have to love them, but they are a very important part of every democratic regime and an important part of its strength.’ [Note: No Breaking the Silence testimony has been shown to be untrue; the effectiveness of its vetting processes was strikingly demonstrated in April 2015 when it exposed an attempt by Likud MK Oren Hasan to feed it false testimony.]

Breaking the Silence: Why take the message abroad? – Ilan Lior – Haaretz 18.12.15
“Why abroad?” was the most persistent question members of Breaking the Silence were asked this week in interviews, on social media, and in personal messages.

Don’t shoot down Breaking the Silence, it’s just the messenger - Amos Harel – Haaretz 19.12.15 As right-wing groups queued up to bash Breaking the Silence last week, it’s interesting to note how the Israeli army itself views the activists who shine a light on its operations.