The IDF's Top 5 'Abu Ghraib' Moments

In the battle for global sympathy, Israel goes to great lengths to convince the world that the IDF is the "most moral army in the world". Israel's leaders and spokesmen repeat this ad nauseum lest anyone have a moment to think otherwise. But on a frequent basis stories, images or films leak out into the mainstream which make it hard for Israel's PR professionals to maintain the mantra of morality. Disturbing images of occupation, in its most raw forms, have caused many, Israelis and Americans alike, to begin to ask what in the world is Israel doing to the Palestinians.

This morning, the news broke about another one of these moments. An IDF soldier, discharged from service in 2008, was found to have created a Facebook album featuring images of her posing with detained, handcuffed and blindfolded Palestinians a la Abu Ghraib. Here is an excerpt from the online version of the Israeli newspaper Yideot Ahranot:

Eden, an Ashdod resident who was recently discharged from the army, apparently had her pictures taken with the Palestinian detainees in 2008. The photos were posted in an album titled "Army…best time of my life :)"

The photos quickly caused a stir on the internet with many net surfers shocked by the images. Some of her friends however responded with enthusiasm.

"You're super sexy here," one of her friends wrote her. Adi responded: "Yeah, I know, ha ha, what a day that was, see how he completes my picture, I wonder if he's on Facebook! I have to tag him in the photo! Ha ha."

This incident, of course, is not unique. A number of different embarrassing moments over time have offered glimpses into the morality, or rather the lack there of, of the Israeli occupation. Alone, these events are often dismissed as the acts of "bad apples" which do not reflect on the whole. But it is important to understand these events as part of an ongoing occupation, a system which drives this behavior because it is based on a fundamental inequality of human beings. It is this inequality which permits the inhumane treatment of other human beings.

In other words, the frequency of these events has little to do with the frequency with which we hear about them. The fact, however, that some of these incidents do see the light, tell us that many more have not been captured on camera.

So this is an appropriate moment to look back at some of the IDF's other 'Abu Ghraib' moments. I use the Abu Ghraib analogy not because the individual acts are exactly like the horrific acts that took place in the American run Iraqi prison of infamy, but rather because, like Abu Ghraib, these are moments or episodes which have led some people to rethink the occupation.



#5. A Child Scared-

In what became an iconic image from the second intifada, this picture is representative of a plethora of scenes where children are arrested, mistreated, humiliated and often worse. Here, a child, who seems to be around 10 years old is arrested by numerous heavily armed Israeli soldiers. Not knowing where he is being taken, the child is frightened to the point where he wet himself.



#4. Smile, you're dead-


Some hunters pose proudly next to the stag they shot, some stuff the heads and mount them on the wall to memorialize the prize. In this photo, IDF soldiers pose next to a dead Palestinian in what was widely criticized as a 'trophy shot'. Armed with American made M-16 riffles, the soldiers huddle and smirk above the a lifeless Palestinian body.




#3. The 'Non-Existent' Human Shields- The proponents of the 'most moral army in the world' claim often deny the IDF ever uses human shields. Of course, the Goldstone report found that the opposite was quite true. (Even a recent, albeit hushed, IDF report found Goldstone was right on the use of human shields.) But images of IDF personal using Palestinians as human shields are not rare. This one was featured in an English paper under a provocative headline.



#2. One shot, two kills

Israel's war on Gaza, which followed years of siege that imposed collective punishment on the 1.5 million civilians in the tiny strip, left 1400 people, mostly civilians dead. The images of carnage, white phosphorus and devastating force used in densely populated civilian areas led many to critcize Israel's conduct during the war and allegations of war crimes were heard even before the war ended and long before the Goldstone commission received its mandate to investigate human rights violations. It was evident early on that the Israel's PR machine would have to kick into high gear to combat allegations that the 'most moral army in the world' acted improperly. Certainly, these t-shirts, which became popular among some IDF soldiers as well as other Israeli citizens didn't help. This now infamous image shows a pregnant Palestinian lady with her womb in the cross hairs of an Israeli sniper. The caption reads "One Shot, Two Kills."



Drumroll.......



#1. Point Blank Punishment

In perhaps the most difficult to look at scene, this video tops the list. Here, after a protest against the building of the wall in the West Bank near the village of Ni'lin, IDF soldiers arrest, handcuff and blind fold on of the protesters. Then, they bring him next to their jeep where he is surrounded by IDF personel. A moment later, a soldier raises his gun toward the blindfolded youth firing at point blank range into his foot. The youth falls to the ground writhing in pain.

Many more could be added to this list but you get the point. How many more 'Abu Ghraib' moments does the IDF need to have for the world to realize that there is no morality in an army of occupation?

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