More photos published
Facebook scandal: More soldiers' photos published
Additional photographs show IDF soldiers, Border Guard police officers posing next to bound Palestinians, Arab bodies; Breaking the Silence group: This is part of broad phenomenon, many more photos out there
The Breaking the Silence organization published Tuesday more photographs of IDF soldiers posing next to bound and cuffed Palestinian detainees.
Some of the images show troops posing with the bodies of killed Palestinians. In some cases, soldiers smile to the camera as the picture is shot.
The group published the photos as part of a new Facebook campaign dubbed "the norm denied by Avi Benayahu," countering the IDF spokesman's claim that such photographs are unusual.
Troops pose next to Palestinian detainee
The campaign follows the publication of controversial Facebook photos Monday showing an IDF female soldier standing next to cuffed and blindfolded Palestinians.
"The new campaign came into being in the wake of the publication of (soldier) Eden Abergil's photos, in order to show the prevalence of this phenomenon among IDF ranks," Breaking the Silence said. "The photographs that had been published are merely the tip of the iceberg. Many people possess thousands of photos, but only a small part is being published…we turned Eden into a scapegoat, while the norm is what needs to be targeted."
'Occupation at fault'
"This norm is wide-ranging and was created as result of the occupation and the daily control over the civilian population, one of the group's founders, Yehuda Shaul, told Ynet.
"Every soldier becomes used to seeing cuffed and blindfolded Palestinians as a matter of routine, and by seeing it so often, these troops become blind to the fact these are human beings."
The amazement expressed by the Israeli public following the photos' publication attests to "the immense gap between our self-image as a society and our image s reflected in the mirror and in the photographs," Shaul said.
"We think the time has come to put an end to the silence, which facilitates the culture of denial," he said.
The IDF Spokesman's' Office slammed Monday the photos published by Abergil. The soldier later said she was informed that the army will be dismissing her from reserve service and stripping her of her ranks.
"The army let me down," Abergil told Ynet Monday. "I risked my life and was wounded…and now I’m sorry that I served in such army."
