Photographs by a former female soldier put on Facebook several days ago, have stirred up a web storm. Among the photographs put up by Eden Aberjil, under the title "The army: the best time of my life," are ones in which the soldier is seen smiling near Palestinian prisoners whose hands are tied and eyes covered.
Responding to Aberjil's photographs, one friend wrote her: "You are most sexy like that." Referring to one of her prisoner subjects, the photographer mused in response: "I wonder if he is on Facebook?! I must tag him in the photograph."
The photo album has since been removed from the social network.
Also visible in the former soldier's photographs were the field headquarters where she was stationed, with military maps and documents on the walls, including what appears to be classified material.
Aberjil was discharged from the IDF a year ago, and the army has no legal means of prevent her from posting her photographs.
Last year the army issued instructions to troops forbidding the publication of any photographs showing operational activities or from the inside of field headquarters. The Field Security section includes a unit whose task is to keep tabs on such incidents and, when sensitive information is identified, to bring in the Military Police.
The IDF spokesman said in response to the photographs that, "on the face of it the behavior exhibited by the soldier is base and crude."
The head of the Public Committee Against Torture, Ishai Menuchin, said that "these terrible photographs reflect a norm in the way Palestinians are viewed, as an object and not as humans. It is an attitude that ignores their feelings as humans and their individual rights."
According to Menuchin, "it looks like the soldier who put up the photographs on Facebook enjoyed the humiliation of the Palestinians and ignored their right to privacy, while in humiliating postures .... We call on the commanders of the IDF to issue an order forbidding such humiliating behavior toward a population under occupations, and invest in educating the IDF soldiers to view the individual Palestinian citizens as having human rights."
Similar reactions were made by the Palestinian Authority official government media center, stressing that "the photographs reflect the behavior of the occupier who prides himself in humiliating Palestinians .... The occupation is not just, it is immoral, and as is shown in these photographs, it also corrupts and must be brought to an end." _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre èëè âòîðàÿ ðåäàêöèÿ Çàáóãîðíîâà
The head of the Public Committee Against Torture, Ishai Menuchin, said that "these terrible photographs reflect a norm in the way Palestinians are viewed, as an object and not as humans. It is an attitude that ignores their feelings as humans and their individual rights."
Õîòåë áû íå ñîãëàñèòñÿ ñ Ìåíóõèíûì, à íå ìîãó: ôàêòû íå ïîçâîëÿþò. _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre èëè âòîðàÿ ðåäàêöèÿ Çàáóãîðíîâà
Eden Aberjil doesn't understand what all the fuss is about. The former soldier sees nothing wrong with posting photos on her Facebook profile showing her posing, grinning and amused, alongside blindfolded Palestinian detainees. "The pictures reflect the military experience," she told Army Radio this week of her online photo album, entitled "The army: the best time of my life."
Even more disturbing than the images - which depict the detainees as house pets - is Aberjil's failure to understand the uproar they have caused. Whoever photographed her (other troops were likely there - it's doubtful one soldier would be tasked with guarding all of the detainees ) also presumably saw their performance art as no more than a lark.
But Aberjil's "experience" is reflective of a culture that has taken root over the course of decades of occupation, one which perceives Palestinian prisoners as subhuman - objects of amusement at best and at worst, abuse. It is a culture that gives rise to appalling conduct like forcing inmates to dance, sing Israeli patriotic and military songs, or photographing them as a hunter would his conquered beast. These "experiences" are no different than those of American soldiers abusing Iraqis in Abu Ghraib prison, pictures that shocked the world when exposed in 2004.
Aberjil's photographs are troubling not only because they wreak untold damage on Israel's image abroad, one already eroded by the long years of occupation. Focusing solely on the soldier's behavior, including her decision to post the images online, is a mistake. Instead, we should look at the intolerable norm represented by her photos, and others released yesterday by the advocacy group Breaking the Silence. Taken together, they underscore commanders' failure to inculcate their soldiers with the humane values the IDF touts, and the difference between Israel's military and those of other countries.
It is imperative that explicit, unambiguous rules for what soldiers are and are not permitted to do to detainees are set, and to impress upon troops an ethical code that makes clear such behavior will not be tolerated. The humiliation of Palestinian detainees must not be remembered as the "best time" of any soldier's army experience. _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre èëè âòîðàÿ ðåäàêöèÿ Çàáóãîðíîâà
But Aberjil's "experience" is reflective of a culture that has taken root over the course of decades of occupation, one which perceives Palestinian prisoners as subhuman - objects of amusement at best and at worst, abuse. It is a culture that gives rise to appalling conduct like forcing inmates to dance, sing Israeli patriotic and military songs, or photographing them as a hunter would his conquered beast. These "experiences" are no different than those of American soldiers abusing Iraqis in Abu Ghraib prison, pictures that shocked the world when exposed in 2004.
Ïîäïèøóñü ïîä êàæäûì ñëîâîì (ÏÏÊÑ) _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre èëè âòîðàÿ ðåäàêöèÿ Çàáóãîðíîâà
Óëûáàþòñÿ.....ñëóæáà â ïîëèöèè òîæå èìååò ñâîè ïðèÿòíûå ìîìåíòû.......the best time of my life
_________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre èëè âòîðàÿ ðåäàêöèÿ Çàáóãîðíîâà
Ñíîâà ïðèÿòíûé ìîìåíò! Âðàãà ïîéìàëè....íà÷àëè ðàçäåâàòü....äàæå ñòðàøíî ïîäóìàòü ÷òî áóäåò íà ñëåäóþùèõ êàäðàõ!
_________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre èëè âòîðàÿ ðåäàêöèÿ Çàáóãîðíîâà
 Facebook ïîÿâèëàñü "ãðóïïà ïîääåðæêè" Ýäåí Àáàðäæèëü, ñíÿâøåéñÿ íà ôîíå ïàëåñòèíöåâ
Ñêàíäàë ñ ôîòîâåðíèñàæåì 20-ëåòíåé Ýäåí Àáàðäæèëü íà ôîíå "ñâÿçàííûõ è ñåêñóàëüíûõ" ïàëåñòèíöåâ ïðîäîëæàåò ðàçðàñòàòüñÿ â Ñåòè.  ñîöèàëüíîé ñåòè Facebook ïîÿâèëîñü ñîîáùåñòâî â ïîääåðæêó äåìîáèëèçîâàííîé âîåííîñëóæàùåé, ñîçäàòåëè êîòîðîãî ïîä÷åðêèâàþò, ÷òî "íå òîëüêî Ýäåí êàéôîâàëà â àðìèè".
 ñîîáùåñòâå âûêëàäûâàþòñÿ ññûëêè íà íîâîñòè î ðàçâèòèè äåëà Àáàðäæèëü, à òàêæå î ïîäîáíûõ ñêàíäàëàõ, èìåâøèõ ìåñòî â ïðîøëîì. Êðîìå òîãî, ïîëüçîâàòåëè ïóáëèêóþò áëèçêèå ïî ñìûñëó ôîòîãðàôèè – êàê ñâîè, òàê è íàéäåííûå â èíòåðíåòå.
Ñðåäè ïðî÷åãî, â ñîîáùåñòâå áûëè ðàçìåùåíû ôîòîãðàôèè ïîëèöåéñêèõ, ôîòîãðàôèðîâàâøèõñÿ íà ôîíå çàêîâàííîãî â íàðó÷íèêè íàñèëüíèêà Áåíè Ñåëû è èçäåâàþùèõñÿ íàä íèì, à òàêæå ìíîæåñòâî ñíèìêîâ ñ âîåííûõ îïåðàöèé, ãäå ñîëäàòû íàõîäÿòñÿ ðÿäîì ñ àðåñòîâàííûìè èëè ëèêâèäèðîâàííûìè áîåâèêàìè.
Ïîìèìî ôîòîãðàôèé, ÷ëåíû ñîîáùåñòâà ðàññêàçûâàþò î ñâîåì îòíîøåíèè ê ñêàíäàëó, â ÷àñòíîñòè, è ê àðàáàì, â öåëîì. Ýäåí Àáàðäæèëü íàçûâàþò "îäíèì èç ïîñëåäíèõ ÷åñòíûõ ëþäåé â ñòðàíå, êîòîðûå ãîâîðÿò, ÷òî äóìàþò, è íå ñòåñíÿþòñÿ ýòîãî". Ñîçäàòåëè ñîîáùåñòâà àêòèâíî "ðàñêðó÷èâàþò" åãî, ïðèçûâàÿ âñòóïèâøèõ â ñîîáùåñòâî ïðèãëàøàòü â íåãî ñâîèõ äðóçåé. _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre èëè âòîðàÿ ðåäàêöèÿ Çàáóãîðíîâà
Five Israel Defense Forces soldiers were arrested by military police Thursday, following suspicions of mistreatment of Palestinians detainees, which included taking improper photographs.
The soldiers, members of the Nahal Haredi combat unit, were arrested following information received by their battalion commander, which claimed that two of the five soldiers were involved in drug use, while the rest are suspected of taking photographs of themselves alongside cuffed and blindfolded Palestinian detainees using their cellphones.
Four of the five IDF soldiers were remanded by military police by four days, with the fifth due to appear before a remand hearing on Friday.
The arrest came after earlier this week a storm erupted over the Facebook images of a former IDF soldier, Eden Abergil, who had taken photographs of herself alongside bound Palestinian detainees.
Photographs uploaded by Abergil and labeled "IDF – the best time of my life," depicted her smiling next to Palestinian prisoners with their hands bound and their eyes covered.
A comment attached to one of the photos of the soldier smiling in front of two blindfold men and posted by one of Abergil's friends read "That looks really sexy for you," with Abergil's response reading: "I wonder if he is on Facebook too – I'll have to tag him in the photo."
On Thursday, a comment allegedly added by Abergil to her Facebook page saying that she would "gladly kill Arabs – even slaughter them."
"In war there are no rules," Abergil allegedly wrote on the wall of her profile page on the social network Facebook.
Reacting to Abergil's initial upload of the controversial images, the IDF spokesman issued its response Thursdays, saying "on the face of it the behavior exhibited by the soldier is base and crude." _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre èëè âòîðàÿ ðåäàêöèÿ Çàáóãîðíîâà
Five Israel Defense Forces soldiers were arrested by military police Thursday, following suspicions of mistreatment of Palestinians detainees, which included taking improper photographs.
_________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre èëè âòîðàÿ ðåäàêöèÿ Çàáóãîðíîâà
The southern command military court convicted two Israeli soldiers on Sunday of using human shields during Operation Cast Lead, Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip, in the winter of 2008-2009.
The soldiers were convicted of offenses including inappropriate behavior and overstepping authority for ordering an 11-year-old Palestinian to search bags suspected to have been booby trapped.
The conviction is the first such conviction for what is termed in the Israel Defense Forces "neighbor procedure" – the use of human shields during searches and pursuits, which has been outlawed.
Friends of the two soldiers gathered outside the courthouse on Sunday to show their support. They were all wearing T shirts with the slogan "we are victims of Goldstone," written on them, referring to the damning UN report, penned by jurist Richard Goldstone, which accused Israel of committing war crimes during the Gaza war.
The incident occurred during a search conducted by Givati soldiers in southern Gaza City in January 2009. IDF protocols strictly prohibit the use of civilians as human shields.
An investigation into the incident was launched last July, after a United Nations report on children in armed combat brought the details of the event to the military police's attention.
The indictment also relied on a complaint filed by the Israeli chapter of the Defense for Children organization.
The IDF spokesperson's unit stressed that, during every incursion, soldiers were told that forcing civilians to assist in military operations was strictly forbidden, especially if such action were to endanger their lives. _________________ A la guerre comme a la guerre èëè âòîðàÿ ðåäàêöèÿ Çàáóãîðíîâà