Anti-Israel Propaganda?

March 30, 2008

by Daniel E. Levenson

The traveling exhibit “Breaking the Silence,” which is presently on display at Harvard University Hillel, has been, to say the least, controversial. The series of photographs, testimonials from former soldiers, video presentations and other items highlights the negative aspects of the way that the Israeli Defense Forces carry out border control operations and security operations within the territories. As with most exhibits, this one has a message, and it is one that has made many people uncomfortable. By focusing only on abuses perpetrated by some IDF soldiers, the exhibit virtually ignores any of the complexity of the day-to-today security situation in Israel. And while some have applauded this effort by former IDF soldiers to expose what they see as cruel and inhumane treatment of Palestinian civilians, others have seen this exhibit as nothing more than the latest version of left-wing ant-Israel propaganda designed to cast the Jewish state in a negative light.

The video and the photographs in the exhibit clearly show the emotion involved in these very tense situations in which Israeli soldiers must interact with Palestinian civilians, but they also provide a very one-sided view of things. In such tense situations, emotions are often close to the surface or being openly expressed, and occasionally violence breaks out. On a moral and ethical level, I don’t see any excuse for hitting someone who is already being restrained or using violence as a tool of intimidation or shame. And from a security perspective, it doesn’t help resolve the conflict in a peaceful way to have Israeli soldiers punching and slapping Palestinians who are trying to get through a checkpoint with their families in order to buy food or medicine. At the same time, the exhibit ignores the constant level of violence being directed at Israeli civilians for the past 60 years from both irregular terrorist groups and various “legitimate” Palestinian governments.

While it is morally inexcusable for an IDF soldier to hit an unarmed Palestinian who is simply trying to buy food for his family, it is also a reality that Israel is facing constant attack. A variety of terrorist organizations routinely try to sneak in operatives, explosives and firearms into Israel with the express purpose of killing unarmed civilians – men, women and children who are simply trying to go about their daily lives. It may be a slippery slope for Israel to condone hitting Palestinians at check points, it is equally, if not more, precarious to put forward the idea that there is some kind of moral equivalency between this kind of action and an instance in which a suicide bomber infiltrates Israel with the sole purpose of killing as many innocent men, women and children as possible. Although Israel has been very successful for the most part in the last few years at stopping suicide bombers, the people of Ashkelon and Sderot live in constant fear of rocket fire and as we saw in the recent Yeshivah shooting, there are many people who would like nothing more than to kill Israelis and Jews whenever and however they can.

Yes, it is a tragedy when Palestinians civilians are killed in operations in the territory, and I would never suggest otherwise. But there is a difference between someone who gets caught in the crossfire between Hamas and Israel, and someone who is sitting in a library studying and is shot on purpose and in cold blood. In a perfect world, neither victim would perish, but we don’t live in a perfect world, we live in a world in which Israel still has many very dangerous and very determined enemies.

I heard someone remark after seeing the exhibit that it would make sense to have this in Israel, but she didn’t see the point of having it in America. And I think to a large extent, I agree. In Israel this kind of exhibit might lead to a broader policy discussion about the training and conduct of IDF soldiers who serve at the checkpoints and in the territories, from the perspective of both ethics and security. But in America, where the average person probably has no idea as to how complicated the situation really is in the Middle East, the exhibit looked to me more like a piece of propaganda than a ground-breaking exposure of a grave injustice.

Daniel E. Levenson

Editor-in-Chief