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Testimonies from Hebron: Soldiers choke, beat Palestinians
Hanan Greenberg
Published: 18.04.08, 15:56
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85 Talkbacks for this article
1. There is a very tiny space for Jews to live in Hevron
Keren ,   Israel-SP   (04.18.08)
something like few blocks,and even in this tiny place,arabs harass Jews.I saw that with my own eyes! The arabs have an huge area to be , or to be put in,but no,they chose to harass Jews.A soldier must be made of iron to stand with this continued hassling. And some of you want to vote "bibi"? Wasn't "bibi"who put Jews in such situation? And let me tell you,with the number of exclusively arab tows in the already very tiny Israel,I don't know what is going to remain to us. Arabs are CONSISTENTLY working to get rid of Israel;if we do not impose urgent providences,we will satify their wishes.
2. Raise your hand if you're surprised.
Mark ,   London   (04.18.08)
3. Business as usual
Mikesailor ,   Miami, FL   (04.18.08)
Of course, the usual talkback writers will claim the following: 1) The story is untrue and propoganda; 2) The stories are true but just some 'bad apples", 3) The stories are true but the Arabs deserved it because 'they' are subhuman. It doesn't matter to the overwhelming majority of Israelis because these 'crimes' did not have Jewish victims. And few will cry out for simple justice; that the IDF and settler criminals be subject to real justice, that Jewish criminals be subject to the same sanctions to which a Palestinian would be subject. The silence is deafening.
4. Occupation corrupts!
Observer   (04.18.08)
5. YNET AGAIN IS THE BEST FRIEND OF PALESTINIANS
(04.18.08)
6. Leftists soldiers betray always IDF
(04.18.08)
7. Ynet you should be ashamed to report all the Leftists lies !
Muay Thai   (04.18.08)
8. AL JAZEERA ?? NO ! YNET !!!
Dave ,   Raanana   (04.18.08)
9. Those soldiers must be punished, can they do this to Hezbo?
Arabic Observer   (04.18.08)
Human nature to degrade and to beat someone weaker than him but when it comes to Hezbo, those who beat palestinians can do nothing and getting in battlefield means a confirmed death or injury. IDF morality is low specially after Lebanon war, they become more angry
10. Well I do not care..
Alexander ,   Galut   (04.18.08)
its war you idiots, what do you expect!
11. These soldiers have to face charges!
Chaya ,   Bat Yam, Israel   (04.18.08)
And older soldiers should be sent to Hebron - not these hot-headed youngsters!
12. Not to justify bad behavior ...
Terry ,   Eilat, Israel   (04.18.08)
But all armies, especially in civilian areas, have examples of similar behavior. Compared with other armies, Israeli soldiers behave far better than most. The behavior of American soldiers in Iraq or years ago in Vietnam was far more brutal (& lethal) yet no one would characterize the Americans as a brutal people. The French in Algeria were incredibly brutal. Would anyone like to compare our soldiers behavior with the behavior of soldiers in any Arab country? Ask Kuwaitis what the Iraqi occupation was like. Look what the Sudanese army does in Darfur. U.N. peace-keeping forces were found guilty of many rapes & sexual coercion for food to starving people. Egyptian soldiers shoot African refugees all the time, including women & children at our border. The Russian army in Chechniya is a horror story. The Palestinian security forces are hardly known for their charming behavior & many civilians are tortured & die in their custody. So, stories like these must be put in perspective. As terrible as this behavior is, the IDF cannot be held to standards that no one applies to any other army.
13. To # 11 don't beleive everything in Ynet
Harry   (04.18.08)
We don't need the propaganda from AlJezerra our self hating Jews are doing a much better Job. Reality how many Jews were killed and stabbed in Hebron. We need young soldiers to guard against all the terrorist that surround Hebron.
14. Why did soldiers not report these alleged offenses?
Raymond in DC ,   Washington, DC USA   (04.18.08)
The IDF investigates and charges soldiers for violating the rules all the time. Many have been demoted and/or jailed for such offenses. But if these offenses did occur as claimed in this report, why did the soldiers so offended by their occurrence not report them to their superiors? Abuses occur in any conflict, but the IDF overall has behaved far better than most.
15. Palestinians bomb Israeli civilians its called war!
we r still more ,   civilized than them!   (04.18.08)
16. # 12
(04.18.08)
Don't justify Israeli cruelty by pointing out Arab cruelty. Secondly, the Kuwaitis lied.
17. This is outrageous!
Eitan ,   Israel   (04.18.08)
Both the fact that it's happenning and the overall dismissal of the problem here by talkbackers. How the palestinians are and what they do, and whether they are hold responsible for what they do is absolutelly irrelevant. The conduct of quite a few of our soldiers is primitive, cruel and pathetic, and I hope they get very long jail sentences. I have served in Hebron all 3 years during much harder more tense times, but it never came to our minds to torture anybody or to steal a thing. Your justification of the soldiers that the war or the palestinians corrupted them is a rhetoric knee jerk. There is no political aspect to this report, if you are leftist it's bad, and if you are a rightist it's worse, because this is happenning, and the patriotic thing to do would be addressing the issue and demanding change. I don't want to work or have any relationship with some idiots who use their power to steal or enjoy beating somebody up. How about you?
18. "Not to justify bad behavior."
Daniel ,   NYC   (04.18.08)
You just did. Comparing our behavior to other brutal and dehumanizing occupational forces is an interesting exercise for someone who has set out to try and justify our bad behavior. Even if you think we're not as bad. Is this kind of article unpleasant to read? Yes, it is hard to stomach, especially for me, as I plan to join the IDF. But the stench that arises from these talkbacks is abhorrent. There is NO correct response to this article other than "let's figure out how to stop this." It goes beyond punishing a few soldiers; it is clearly a system-wide problem whose roots lie at the very occupation.
19. Israelis and Jews must never imitate savage enemies
Ora ,   Canada   (04.18.08)
It is good these soldiers spoke out, though they should not have allowed this to happen. We cannot become savages like them. May God forgive these soldiers and Israel. Israel must be a shining light and a role model to the entire world.
20. #16
jerome ,   basalt, co   (04.18.08)
why not point out arab cruety if Israeli's are being pointed at? And your lying about kuwaitis lying! The Whacky iraqis where horrible to the kuwaitis! Which planet do you live on?
21. They Don't, But Since We Will Be Acused Of It Anyway...
David ,   Marietta USA   (04.18.08)
22. Sounds dangerous
Tuvia, MD ,   Betar Ilt, Israel   (04.18.08)
To be an arab terrorist. They can always leave eretz yisrael.
23. please no more
abed ,   jerusalem   (04.18.08)
any one believe what the solders did is ok is mentaly sick .idont think these animals take orders from the covermnt todo tese crul acts.they do it to arabs ,they will do it to jews .they are not solders they are cowards.
24. Lesson for IDF: killing journalists loses you press support
Chanalau, Tova ,   London, UK   (04.18.08)
Well done YNET; keep it up; don't stop till the criminal thugs commanding the IDF are all in prison.
25. lies or truth?
ahmed ,   france   (04.18.08)
i won't believe it til the IDF inquires the cases. it can be pure propaganda. It can be true. If IDF inquires , i'l trust them cause it's the only army capable to react to it's soldiers faults
26. #'s 12, 16 In context
Ari ,   San Francisco, CA   (04.18.08)
Number 12, you are absolutely right. This behavior by the Israeli army is terrible, and these soldiers must be prosecuted. But this situation also must be put into perspective. Other peoples armies are much more brutal, but others don't jump on the oportunity to use it to demonize the entire country. This is a common thing to do to Israel: take any flaw, and use it to justify the actions of the Arabs. Remember: the root problem of the entire middle east is Jihadism and Arab intolarence. Stop taking Israel's mistakes and framing them as the root problem. Critisize Israel in context.
27. IDF is ridiculously gentle with Arabs
GZ ,   USA   (04.18.08)
Just today there was another incident when the Arab tried to stab a soldier. He was subdued and taken for interrogation. No doubt he will be released in no time. This kind of things are happening all the time. Why? Because the Arabs know that they nothing to fear. The soldiers from any other army would kill this attacker on the spot. Even when a terrorist survives the blast he himself caused he never gets killed even in the heat of the moment. We always read about the Arab rage, never about Jewish rage.
28. Surprised?
Cameron ,   USA   (04.18.08)
You expect a gentle hand applied to those engaging in garbage mindset & behavior? Remember, respect & courtesy are always a 2-way street.
29. Well said, Terry.
Kev ,   London   (04.18.08)
30. This type of information only comes out in a free society
Andrew ,   New York   (04.18.08)
and those who violate the rule of law can and should be punished according to the law. Even if these reports are accurate, they are certainly the exception. It is still true that Israel adheres to a much higher standard in the conduct of its self defense than its enemies adhere to in their attacks. And these reports should not be seen as drawing any moral equivalence between Israel and the Palestinians. In Palestinian, Arab and Muslim societies, there would be no such criticism of these types of acts. On the contrary, we often see the celebration of this and much worse treatment of Israelis and Americans.
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