Israel's Abu Ghraib Scandal Grows

I wrote yesterday about the embarrassing moments that expose the IDF's mistreatment of Palestinians and how Israel's leaders attempt to downplay these as isolated episodes by "bad apples" which are supposedly not representative of the entire army. A similar response came after the revelation yesterday that a certain IDF soldier had posted pictures on her Facebook page posing with detained Palestinians.

The IDF response called the photos "repulsive" and claimed that they in no way represent the IDF as a whole. But within hours from the beginning of Israel's Abu Ghraib scandal more photos surfaced of IDF personnel humiliating Palestinians and posing for 'trophy shots' with dead Palestinians. I wrote about some of the IDF's top Abu Ghraib-like moments yesterday - moments that make objective onlookers question the morality of the IDF and its occupation - but as these photos continue to make their way into the public eye the scandal is growing.

Breaking the Silence, an Israeli organization which collects testimony from IDF soldiers who can no longer silence their conscience, issued a statement claiming that this behavior is not limited to one soldier and that "the IDF Spokesman [should] not insult the intelligence of the Israeli public, and clarify that it is a widespread phenomenon, not an aberration caused by a single soldier"

More of these types of photos are available here but beware some of the images are not suitable for those with weak stomachs.

The release of these initial photos, and there will certainly be more to come in the future, merely provided further support for the testimonies of Palestinian victims of routine humiliation by the occupation. The story here is not that the IDF humiliates Palestinians and treats them in an inhumane fashion, that's old news. Rather, the real story is that this is another instance where the Israeli PR machine has failed to terminate the transparency created by technology and the internet. The limits of state control are clearly on display as a potentially devastating PR catastrophe that began with one soldier's photos is now snowballing into something much bigger only within 24 hours.

The IDF soldier whose Facebook album exposed these practices yesterday morning can not comprehend why they are problematic. Ha'aretz reports:

"I still don't understand what's wrong," Abergil told Army Radio on Thursday, saying that the "pictures were taken in good will, there was no statement in them."

The former IDF soldier said the pictures, which she said were of Gazans who had been arrested while attempting to crossover into Israel, were meant to depict a "military experience," and were not intended to injure the detainees.

During the Army Radio interview, Abergil repeatedly said that it had never occurred to her that "the picture would be problematic," asking interviewer Ilana Dayan whether the media asked for detainees permission when they film them.

Referring to the possibility that the images could injure Israel's image in the international arena, Abergil said: "We will always be attacked. Whatever we do, we will always be attacked."

Abergil is wrong about a lot of things but she is most wrong about the last, fatalistic comment in the excerpt. The world is not out to get Israel. The world has told Israel time and again, if it abides by international law and ends it's 43 year occupation, it would be a welcomed part of the international community. Until then it will remain a pariah state to most of the world, and if not most of the world's governments, at least most of the world's population.

The perception that Israel will be attacked for whatever it does has a dangerous corollary. If IDF soldiers, the Army and the State have bought into the idea that criticism will come regardless to what actions they take (and you would sure think so considering what they have been saying in recent years), what is to stop them from taking these disgusting actions.

Israel's PR machine has long criticized what it considers to be a deligitimization campaign and this criticism has increased since the heinous attacks on besieged Gaza and the attack on the flotilla. But as Israel's Abu Ghraib scandal continues to develop, we are witnessing yet another example of how Israel, through its occupation and treatment of Palestinians, has done more damage to Israel's image than anyone else. Unless the occupation ends, Israel will continue to be its own worst enemy.

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