Organizers of ‘Breaking the Silence’ exhibition distributed to the press this week a new collection of soldiers’ testimonies, reporting incidents in which officers and soldiers knowingly broke army open-fire regulations.
A group of released soldiers started breaking the Silence in June with a public exhibition. The group aims at placing a mirror before Israelis, pointing to the moral price, that soldiers who perform extended service in the Palestinian territories must pay.
The new collection includes eyewitness reports on intentional gunfire to destroy Palestinian properties, such as roof tops water tanks, on intensive firing of heavy machine gunfire in a random manner, and on firing life ammunition at stone throwers.
Army Spokesperson said Monday that Breaking the Silence reports lacks full detailed testimonies or detail in which units the incidents took place, therefore can’t help in starting investigations.
Most of the soldiers who contributed to the reports were afraid of being identified by name.
Yet, Breaking the Silence is facing another more serious obstacle. Israelis are not shaken by such reports; therefore, the reports are not generating any considerable level of public interest.
The extensive media coverage that accompanied the release of the first published testimonies has already faded away.