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About Us & RulesWhy do so many Israelis hate Breaking the Silence?
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Why do so many Israelis hate Breaking the Silence?
by Guest Wed Dec 16, 2015 1:50 pm
The organization of former Israeli soldiers is coming under attack from every direction these days — from the Israel’s president to the defense minister to the police. So what’s the deal?
A public reading of Breaking the Silence testimonies in Tel Aviv to mark 10 years since the organization was founded, June 6, 2014. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)
Breaking the Silence is a Jewish organization made up of former Israeli soldiers, most of whom served in combat roles. All they want to do is to tell Israeli society, which sent them to the occupied Palestinian territories, what they did there as soldiers. They do so through written and video testimonies collected form over 1,000 soldiers, all of which were approved by the IDF Censor before being published. That’s all.
They don’t support the Palestinian boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign. They aren’t trying to have Israeli officers tried for war crimes (on the contrary: they believe that the political echelon, not the army, should be held responsible for the occupation). They do not justify any Palestinian violence. They don’t even call on Israelis to refuse to serve in the army, and many of them still do reserve duty every year. If anything, one could pretty easily criticize Breaking the Silence from the left side of the political map.
And yet, since Breaking the Silence was established it has been under constant attack from the Right in Israel — an attack that has grown louder over the past few months. In the latest chapter of the absurd campaign against the organization, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon banned Breaking the Silence from any and all IDF activities. Why?
Because if the organization “really shared our values … they would work directly with the IDF, and wouldn’t tarnish our soldiers overseas.” Got that? Because they don’t speak to the army they are no longer allowed to speak to the army. Brilliant.
Israeli army officers speak to Breaking the Silence director Yuli Novak as the army prevented a Breaking the Silence tour from proceeding through the occupied city of Hebron, April 4, 2014. (Keren Manor/Activestills.org)
But let’s take a look at the accusations against Breaking the Silence one by one:
The first claim, which in my mind is the most important and critical accusation to refute, is that Breaking the Silence is not credible. The organization’s critics come up with all sorts of reasons why the organization isn’t credible, but there is one rebuttal that is awfully difficult to refute: In the 11 years that Breaking the Silence has collected and published testimonies, there has not been one instance in which a serious error — not to mention a fabrication — has been found in their published testimonies.
This is no insignificant point — it needs to be the heart of the debate. An organization that publishes hundreds of testimonies, which works with more than 1,000 soldiers, which has dealt with very complicated subject matter for 11 years — and not a single fabricated published testimony has ever been found. No court of law in any land can boast of such a record. And that is despite a number of attempts to fool the organization by giving them false testimonies. Their researchers and fact-checkers seem to have a perfect record of catching fabrications before publication.
That astounding success is the result of the massive investment Breaking the Silence makes in every single testimony. As the organization’s director of research has written here in the past, every testimony given by a soldier or former soldier is fact-checked, and the background of the incident or testimony is verified along with the identity of the testifier him or herself (and that they are not an aspiring politician looking to make a name for himself). The entire testimony is then corroborated with any available information — both from other soldiers’ testimonies and open source information. Some of the most hair-raising testimonies collected by Breaking the Silence were never published because the organization could not independently corroborate them. Just imagine if journalists who published attack pieces on the organization applied their strict verification standards to their own work and the malicious things that are said about it.
An Israeli soldiers walk next to a tank in the Gaza Strip during 2014’s Operation Protective Edge. (Courtesy of Breaking the Silence)
The second claim is that they don’t hand over their testimonies for investigation by the army. I say: why hand them over? First of all, in its early years the organization did hand over its testimonies to the army. And what happened? They were paid a visit by the military police, which sought to investigate the very crimes they were testifying about, as if they were the guilty party and not their commanders or the army’s policies in the territories. So why hand over testimonies if all it means is that you will be investigated for testifying?
Add to that the fact that others who decided to air such criticisms from within the army did not have any greater success (like the story of the refuseniks from Israel’s hi-tech intelligence Unit 8200, who first complained directly to their commanders). And the fact that Israel Military Police investigations (which aren’t always even initiated in the first place) only rarely lead to indictments and convictions, as has been documented time and again in our special investigative series “License to Kill.”
But even if all that weren’t the case, there would still be no need for Breaking the Silence to hand over its testimonies for the army to investigate. The whole point of Breaking the Silence is that the military occupation in the territories is itself the problem, and that injustices are an inherent part of that situation, not exceptional incidents or the result of “bad apples.” So what exactly is the army supposed to investigate? Whether it has been ruling millions of people under a military regime for almost 50 years? Whether that military regime is responsible for inescapable systematic violations of human and civil rights? (By the way, when the army wants to, it knows how to use Breaking the Silence testimonies in order to advance its investigations.)
The third grievance is that the organization’s testimonies are published anonymously. First of all, there are plenty of testimonies that are not anonymous, with names and faces and all that jazz. And regarding the anonymous ones: in a society that is so quick to pounce on anybody who levies the slightest criticism against the army, in an army that is quick to investigate anybody who gives their own testimony, and the weight of the guilt many of them surely feel for their deeds, where most of those testifying probably don’t want their friends and family to know what they’ve done — you can begin to understand why.
The fourth claim is that Breaking the Silence is funded by foreign countries. Yeah? So what? Seriously. If we’ve already established that testimonies the organization publishes are verified as true, then what does it matter whether a foreign country helps fund their publication? Because those countries have their own agendas? So what? Every country has an agenda and interests. Every organization, every institution and every individual person has an agenda. What’s wrong with having an agenda? It’s the testimonies themselves that deserve to be debated, not who paid the book binder and the graphic designer who created the cover art.
The fifth — and central — claim against Breaking the Silence, is that they also operate overseas. A large part of this accusation is just absurd, mostly because it is most often flung at the organization when it holds events in Israel — like when they give lectures to Israeli soldiers.
So no, they’re not just an outward-facing organization. Most of Breaking the Silence’s activities are held in Israel. The soldiers served in the Israeli army, it is here that they are interviewed by the media, it is here that they organize tours of the occupied territories every month, it is here that they give lectures (which are sometimes shut down by authorities), and it is here that they read testimonies in the streets. And yes, they travel overseas now and again, partly because they feel — and rightfully so — that nobody’s really listening to them here. And that’s legitimate.
So why does the Israeli Right have such a hard time dealing with Breaking the Silence? For all of the reasons laid out here. Because they are soldiers. Because they are speaking the truth, and go to great lengths to ensure that their testimonies are accurate. Because they take great pains to explain that this is a systemic problem and not just a few bad apples. Because they invest massive amounts of time and money in reaching out to Israeli society in order to show it just how ugly military occupation is.
For all of those reasons, because the Right doesn’t have an answer to them, the right wing in Israel blows smoke and slings mud at them. All in order to stop people from hearing what they have to say. Except it’s important to hear what they have to say. Take a tour with Breaking the Silence. It’s worth your while.
http://972mag.com/why-do-so-many-israelis-hate-breaking-the-silence/114763/
Lets have the truth rather than the hasbara.
A public reading of Breaking the Silence testimonies in Tel Aviv to mark 10 years since the organization was founded, June 6, 2014. (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)
Breaking the Silence is a Jewish organization made up of former Israeli soldiers, most of whom served in combat roles. All they want to do is to tell Israeli society, which sent them to the occupied Palestinian territories, what they did there as soldiers. They do so through written and video testimonies collected form over 1,000 soldiers, all of which were approved by the IDF Censor before being published. That’s all.
They don’t support the Palestinian boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign. They aren’t trying to have Israeli officers tried for war crimes (on the contrary: they believe that the political echelon, not the army, should be held responsible for the occupation). They do not justify any Palestinian violence. They don’t even call on Israelis to refuse to serve in the army, and many of them still do reserve duty every year. If anything, one could pretty easily criticize Breaking the Silence from the left side of the political map.
And yet, since Breaking the Silence was established it has been under constant attack from the Right in Israel — an attack that has grown louder over the past few months. In the latest chapter of the absurd campaign against the organization, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon banned Breaking the Silence from any and all IDF activities. Why?
Because if the organization “really shared our values … they would work directly with the IDF, and wouldn’t tarnish our soldiers overseas.” Got that? Because they don’t speak to the army they are no longer allowed to speak to the army. Brilliant.
Israeli army officers speak to Breaking the Silence director Yuli Novak as the army prevented a Breaking the Silence tour from proceeding through the occupied city of Hebron, April 4, 2014. (Keren Manor/Activestills.org)
But let’s take a look at the accusations against Breaking the Silence one by one:
The first claim, which in my mind is the most important and critical accusation to refute, is that Breaking the Silence is not credible. The organization’s critics come up with all sorts of reasons why the organization isn’t credible, but there is one rebuttal that is awfully difficult to refute: In the 11 years that Breaking the Silence has collected and published testimonies, there has not been one instance in which a serious error — not to mention a fabrication — has been found in their published testimonies.
This is no insignificant point — it needs to be the heart of the debate. An organization that publishes hundreds of testimonies, which works with more than 1,000 soldiers, which has dealt with very complicated subject matter for 11 years — and not a single fabricated published testimony has ever been found. No court of law in any land can boast of such a record. And that is despite a number of attempts to fool the organization by giving them false testimonies. Their researchers and fact-checkers seem to have a perfect record of catching fabrications before publication.
That astounding success is the result of the massive investment Breaking the Silence makes in every single testimony. As the organization’s director of research has written here in the past, every testimony given by a soldier or former soldier is fact-checked, and the background of the incident or testimony is verified along with the identity of the testifier him or herself (and that they are not an aspiring politician looking to make a name for himself). The entire testimony is then corroborated with any available information — both from other soldiers’ testimonies and open source information. Some of the most hair-raising testimonies collected by Breaking the Silence were never published because the organization could not independently corroborate them. Just imagine if journalists who published attack pieces on the organization applied their strict verification standards to their own work and the malicious things that are said about it.
An Israeli soldiers walk next to a tank in the Gaza Strip during 2014’s Operation Protective Edge. (Courtesy of Breaking the Silence)
The second claim is that they don’t hand over their testimonies for investigation by the army. I say: why hand them over? First of all, in its early years the organization did hand over its testimonies to the army. And what happened? They were paid a visit by the military police, which sought to investigate the very crimes they were testifying about, as if they were the guilty party and not their commanders or the army’s policies in the territories. So why hand over testimonies if all it means is that you will be investigated for testifying?
Add to that the fact that others who decided to air such criticisms from within the army did not have any greater success (like the story of the refuseniks from Israel’s hi-tech intelligence Unit 8200, who first complained directly to their commanders). And the fact that Israel Military Police investigations (which aren’t always even initiated in the first place) only rarely lead to indictments and convictions, as has been documented time and again in our special investigative series “License to Kill.”
But even if all that weren’t the case, there would still be no need for Breaking the Silence to hand over its testimonies for the army to investigate. The whole point of Breaking the Silence is that the military occupation in the territories is itself the problem, and that injustices are an inherent part of that situation, not exceptional incidents or the result of “bad apples.” So what exactly is the army supposed to investigate? Whether it has been ruling millions of people under a military regime for almost 50 years? Whether that military regime is responsible for inescapable systematic violations of human and civil rights? (By the way, when the army wants to, it knows how to use Breaking the Silence testimonies in order to advance its investigations.)
The third grievance is that the organization’s testimonies are published anonymously. First of all, there are plenty of testimonies that are not anonymous, with names and faces and all that jazz. And regarding the anonymous ones: in a society that is so quick to pounce on anybody who levies the slightest criticism against the army, in an army that is quick to investigate anybody who gives their own testimony, and the weight of the guilt many of them surely feel for their deeds, where most of those testifying probably don’t want their friends and family to know what they’ve done — you can begin to understand why.
The fourth claim is that Breaking the Silence is funded by foreign countries. Yeah? So what? Seriously. If we’ve already established that testimonies the organization publishes are verified as true, then what does it matter whether a foreign country helps fund their publication? Because those countries have their own agendas? So what? Every country has an agenda and interests. Every organization, every institution and every individual person has an agenda. What’s wrong with having an agenda? It’s the testimonies themselves that deserve to be debated, not who paid the book binder and the graphic designer who created the cover art.
The fifth — and central — claim against Breaking the Silence, is that they also operate overseas. A large part of this accusation is just absurd, mostly because it is most often flung at the organization when it holds events in Israel — like when they give lectures to Israeli soldiers.
So no, they’re not just an outward-facing organization. Most of Breaking the Silence’s activities are held in Israel. The soldiers served in the Israeli army, it is here that they are interviewed by the media, it is here that they organize tours of the occupied territories every month, it is here that they give lectures (which are sometimes shut down by authorities), and it is here that they read testimonies in the streets. And yes, they travel overseas now and again, partly because they feel — and rightfully so — that nobody’s really listening to them here. And that’s legitimate.
So why does the Israeli Right have such a hard time dealing with Breaking the Silence? For all of the reasons laid out here. Because they are soldiers. Because they are speaking the truth, and go to great lengths to ensure that their testimonies are accurate. Because they take great pains to explain that this is a systemic problem and not just a few bad apples. Because they invest massive amounts of time and money in reaching out to Israeli society in order to show it just how ugly military occupation is.
For all of those reasons, because the Right doesn’t have an answer to them, the right wing in Israel blows smoke and slings mud at them. All in order to stop people from hearing what they have to say. Except it’s important to hear what they have to say. Take a tour with Breaking the Silence. It’s worth your while.
http://972mag.com/why-do-so-many-israelis-hate-breaking-the-silence/114763/
Lets have the truth rather than the hasbara.
Guest- Guest
Re: Why do so many Israelis hate Breaking the Silence?
by Guest Wed Dec 16, 2015 2:09 pm
What truth?
Unverified claims.
No criminal cases.
Hearsay and in the pocket of an organisation out to deligitimize Israel with the goal of having the nation ostracized by the world in order that it is weakened to the point it is then invaded and we witness a second holocaust.
Unverified claims.
No criminal cases.
Hearsay and in the pocket of an organisation out to deligitimize Israel with the goal of having the nation ostracized by the world in order that it is weakened to the point it is then invaded and we witness a second holocaust.
Guest- Guest
Re: Why do so many Israelis hate Breaking the Silence?
by Guest Wed Dec 16, 2015 2:14 pm
Fuzzy Zack wrote:Richard The Lionheart wrote:What truth?
Unverified claims.
No criminal cases.
Hearsay and in the pocket of an organisation out to deligitimize Israel with the goal of having the nation ostracized by the world in order that it is weakened to the point it is then invaded and we witness a second holocaust.
You haven't read a single testimony.
Don't lie and say you have. I know you haven't. That is quite clear.
Pipe down, I know you think you are hard but you would fall over if you attempted to hit your own shadow
Now what criminal cases have been presented to the international criminal court based off any testimony
Guest- Guest
Re: Why do so many Israelis hate Breaking the Silence?
by Guest Wed Dec 16, 2015 2:23 pm
Fuzzy Zack wrote:Richard The Lionheart wrote:
Pipe down, I know you think you are hard but you would fall over if you attempted to hit your own shadow
Now what criminalk cases have been presented to the international criminal court based off any testimony
What's with all this "hard" bullshit? Are you feeling insecure again? Lol!
How long have the PA been a signatory of the ICC? D'UH! You're so ignorant you don't even know how the ICC works.
Zack I am not the one bullied at school like you were and the fact you have never had a fight in your life, I think its funny a scrawny little racist idiot has rightly been bullied due to the fact you are so hatefuil
Again how many cases have been brought before the international criminal court?
Zero
Are they paying these people to make claims?
Yes
Guest- Guest
Re: Why do so many Israelis hate Breaking the Silence?
by Guest Wed Dec 16, 2015 2:37 pm
Fuzzy Zack wrote:Richard The Lionheart wrote:
Zack I am not the one bullied at school like you were and the fact you have never had a fight in your life, I think its funny a scrawny little racist idiot has rightly been bullied due to the fact you are so hatefuil
Again how many cases have been brought before the international criminal court?
Zero
Are they paying these people to make claims?
Yes
Bruv, once again you've made this thread personal. And started being abusive.
I never threatened you, so I'm not sure why you feel threatened now. Man up and answer my posts with a modicum of civility. Or continue to be seen as a keyboard warrior.
The PA were only allowed to be members of the ICC in 2015.
And yes, they are filing against Israel - which is why the Zionist scum are shitting their pants.
And if you can't answer my posts like a man, don't bother.
You are not worth civility, you are racist scum, a Jew hater through the guise of zionism and what was exposed yesterday was the true nature of hate by sexy and you failed to condemn her disgusting views of what is one of the worst episodes in history based off some idiotic extremists cheering air strikes. Yet says nothing to the fact many Palestinians cheered 9/11.
Now the organisation is Jewish, not palestinians, so your question is absurd.
It can go through any of its donners to place a case against Israel or did you not know this?
Again zionism, what is so wrong about zionism, that you think its acceptable to hate jews because they believe in a homeland?
So again what evidence has been presented to a criminal court?
Zero
Is this organisation a sham
Yes
Click for PDF version.
See here for Breaking the Silence Funding Chart.
•Website: www.shovrimshtika.org
•Registered “company for the benefit of the public” in Israel, founded in 2004.
•Breaking the Silence (BtS) “collects testimonies of soldiers who served in the Occupied Territories during the Second Intifada,” claiming that the “testimonies portray a…grim picture of questionable orders in many areas regarding Palestinian civilians [which] demonstrate the depth of corruption which is spreading in the Israeli military…Israeli society continues to turn a blind eye, and to deny that which happens in its name.”
•Funding: 2014 income of NIS 3,802, 165 million (latest available; accessed July 12, 2015).
•2013-15 donors include: Human Rights and International Law Secretariat (joint funding from Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark and the Netherlands), Trocaire (Ireland), Dan Church Aid (Denmark), Broederlijk Delen (Belgium), Christian Aid (UK), Switzerland, France, CCFD (France), Medico International (Germany),
Misereor (Germany), AECID (Spain), EU, ICCO (Netherlands), Norway, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Open Society Institute, New Israel Fund, and others.
•Based on financial information submitted to the Israeli Registrar of Non-Profits, in accordance with the Israeli NGO transparency law, BtS received NIS 1,128,209 from foreign governmental bodies in the first half of 2015, NIS 2,310,020 in 2014 and NIS 1,271,368 in 2013 (accessed July 27, 2015). (See table below for detailed funding information).
•In 2008-2014, the New Israel Fund (NIF) authorized grants worth $699,310 to Breaking the Silence (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014).
•Received two grants from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund totaling $145,000 (2012-2015).
•Political Advocacy: Active in promoting “war crimes” charges against Israel. These charges were based on anonymous and unverifiable hearsay “testimonies.”
•Although claiming to address Israeli society, the NGO’s lobbying and media advocacy focus on international audiences, including presentations in Europe and the United States. Yehuda Shaul, BtS co-founder, defended this practice: “Sometimes, when you want to deliver messages to the inside, you must go outside.”
•NGO Monitor revealed that following the 2009 Gaza conflict, several BtS donors conditioned the transfer of money to the group on its ability to gather a minimum number of incriminating “testimonies” against the Israeli army.
•The cultural center in Zurich is set to host an event, June 4 –14, 2015, featuring the BtS photo exhibition, as well as demonizing “testimonies.” The event is sponsored by the Swiss Foreign Ministry, the Municipality of Zurich, and several church groups that are active in delegitimization campaigns against Israel.
•In 2010 BtS published a highly tendentious book titled Occupation of the Territories - Israeli Soldier testimonies 2000-2010, which claimed to provide a counter to the “official Israeli position” on IDF actions in the territories. NGO Monitor analysis has revealed that this book was rife with methodological problems and appeared to tailor the testimonies to predetermined “analyses” that falsely claimed that Israeli actions are not aimed at self-defense but at “terrorizing the civilian population.”
•This book was later re-published under the title Our Harsh Logic and translated into Swedish, German, and Dutch. The launching of the book in the various languages served as a platform for further demonization and delegitmization of Israel, including accusations of “racism” and alleged “political assassinations” of Palestinians, claims that Gaza is still “occupied,” and implying that Israel is ethnically cleansing “area C.”
•Analysis by Amos Harel in Ha’aretz: “Breaking the Silence...has a clear political agenda, and can no longer be classed as a ‘human rights organization.’ Any organization whose website includes the claim by members to expose the ‘corruption which permeates the military system’ is not a neutral observer. The organization has a clear agenda: to expose the consequences of IDF troops serving in the West Bank and Gaza. This seems more of interest to its members than seeking justice for specific injustices.” (July 17, 2009)
•BtS members and anti-Israel activists Yonatan and Itamar Shapira were on the “Jews for Justice for Palestinians” boat “Irene,” which sought to violate Israel’s security-based policies regarding naval traffic into Gaza (September 2010).
•During a BtS event at a museum in Sweden (March 2011), Itamar Shapira stated that “We [Israelis] are creating the terror against us.”
•Conducts tours to Hebron and the South Hebron Hills to “witness first hand the dire situation.” Criticized by Israeli police officials for “antagoniz[ing]...settlers in the hope that the settlers will attack them.”
http://www.ngo-monitor.org/article/breaking_the_silence_shovirm_shtika_
Guest- Guest
Re: Why do so many Israelis hate Breaking the Silence?
by Guest Wed Dec 16, 2015 2:38 pm
Fuzzy Zack wrote:FYI - as I'm seen as an enabler of your forum dysfunction Didge - I won't be answering any posts with personal remarks such as the ones you made above.
Either learn to be civil or be treated like a Dick.
I do not do civilities with those who endorse the methods of the nazi's
Guest- Guest
Re: Why do so many Israelis hate Breaking the Silence?
by Raggamuffin Wed Dec 16, 2015 3:47 pm
There's already a thread about this organisation - started today. 
Raggamuffin- Forum Detective ????♀️
- Posts : 33746
Join date : 2014-02-10
Re: Why do so many Israelis hate Breaking the Silence?
by Guest Wed Dec 16, 2015 6:46 pm
Richard The Lionheart wrote:Fuzzy Zack wrote:
Bruv, once again you've made this thread personal. And started being abusive.
I never threatened you, so I'm not sure why you feel threatened now. Man up and answer my posts with a modicum of civility. Or continue to be seen as a keyboard warrior.
The PA were only allowed to be members of the ICC in 2015.
And yes, they are filing against Israel - which is why the Zionist scum are shitting their pants.
And if you can't answer my posts like a man, don't bother.
You are not worth civility, you are racist scum, a Jew hater through the guise of zionism and what was exposed yesterday was the true nature of hate by sexy and you failed to condemn her disgusting views of what is one of the worst episodes in history based off some idiotic extremists cheering air strikes. Yet says nothing to the fact many Palestinians cheered 9/11.
Now the organisation is Jewish, not palestinians, so your question is absurd.
It can go through any of its donners to place a case against Israel or did you not know this?
Again zionism, what is so wrong about zionism, that you think its acceptable to hate jews because they believe in a homeland?
So again what evidence has been presented to a criminal court?
Zero
Is this organisation a sham
Yes
Click for PDF version.
See here for Breaking the Silence Funding Chart.
•Website: www.shovrimshtika.org
•Registered “company for the benefit of the public” in Israel, founded in 2004.
•Breaking the Silence (BtS) “collects testimonies of soldiers who served in the Occupied Territories during the Second Intifada,” claiming that the “testimonies portray a…grim picture of questionable orders in many areas regarding Palestinian civilians [which] demonstrate the depth of corruption which is spreading in the Israeli military…Israeli society continues to turn a blind eye, and to deny that which happens in its name.”
•Funding: 2014 income of NIS 3,802, 165 million (latest available; accessed July 12, 2015).
•2013-15 donors include: Human Rights and International Law Secretariat (joint funding from Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark and the Netherlands), Trocaire (Ireland), Dan Church Aid (Denmark), Broederlijk Delen (Belgium), Christian Aid (UK), Switzerland, France, CCFD (France), Medico International (Germany),
Misereor (Germany), AECID (Spain), EU, ICCO (Netherlands), Norway, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Open Society Institute, New Israel Fund, and others.
•Based on financial information submitted to the Israeli Registrar of Non-Profits, in accordance with the Israeli NGO transparency law, BtS received NIS 1,128,209 from foreign governmental bodies in the first half of 2015, NIS 2,310,020 in 2014 and NIS 1,271,368 in 2013 (accessed July 27, 2015). (See table below for detailed funding information).
•In 2008-2014, the New Israel Fund (NIF) authorized grants worth $699,310 to Breaking the Silence (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014).
•Received two grants from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund totaling $145,000 (2012-2015).
•Political Advocacy: Active in promoting “war crimes” charges against Israel. These charges were based on anonymous and unverifiable hearsay “testimonies.”
•Although claiming to address Israeli society, the NGO’s lobbying and media advocacy focus on international audiences, including presentations in Europe and the United States. Yehuda Shaul, BtS co-founder, defended this practice: “Sometimes, when you want to deliver messages to the inside, you must go outside.”
•NGO Monitor revealed that following the 2009 Gaza conflict, several BtS donors conditioned the transfer of money to the group on its ability to gather a minimum number of incriminating “testimonies” against the Israeli army.
•The cultural center in Zurich is set to host an event, June 4 –14, 2015, featuring the BtS photo exhibition, as well as demonizing “testimonies.” The event is sponsored by the Swiss Foreign Ministry, the Municipality of Zurich, and several church groups that are active in delegitimization campaigns against Israel.
•In 2010 BtS published a highly tendentious book titled Occupation of the Territories - Israeli Soldier testimonies 2000-2010, which claimed to provide a counter to the “official Israeli position” on IDF actions in the territories. NGO Monitor analysis has revealed that this book was rife with methodological problems and appeared to tailor the testimonies to predetermined “analyses” that falsely claimed that Israeli actions are not aimed at self-defense but at “terrorizing the civilian population.”
•This book was later re-published under the title Our Harsh Logic and translated into Swedish, German, and Dutch. The launching of the book in the various languages served as a platform for further demonization and delegitmization of Israel, including accusations of “racism” and alleged “political assassinations” of Palestinians, claims that Gaza is still “occupied,” and implying that Israel is ethnically cleansing “area C.”
•Analysis by Amos Harel in Ha’aretz: “Breaking the Silence...has a clear political agenda, and can no longer be classed as a ‘human rights organization.’ Any organization whose website includes the claim by members to expose the ‘corruption which permeates the military system’ is not a neutral observer. The organization has a clear agenda: to expose the consequences of IDF troops serving in the West Bank and Gaza. This seems more of interest to its members than seeking justice for specific injustices.” (July 17, 2009)
•BtS members and anti-Israel activists Yonatan and Itamar Shapira were on the “Jews for Justice for Palestinians” boat “Irene,” which sought to violate Israel’s security-based policies regarding naval traffic into Gaza (September 2010).
•During a BtS event at a museum in Sweden (March 2011), Itamar Shapira stated that “We [Israelis] are creating the terror against us.”
•Conducts tours to Hebron and the South Hebron Hills to “witness first hand the dire situation.” Criticized by Israeli police officials for “antagoniz[ing]...settlers in the hope that the settlers will attack them.”
http://www.ngo-monitor.org/article/breaking_the_silence_shovirm_shtika_
Associated Press "Ban" of NGO Monitor
According to former Associated Press reporter Matti Friedman, the AP bureau in Jerusalem gave "explicit orders to reporters...to never quote [NGO Monitor] or its director, an American-raised professor named Gerald Steinberg." Friedman continues, and says, "In my time as an AP writer moving through the local conflict, with its myriad lunatics, bigots, and killers, the only person I ever saw subjected to an interview ban was this professor."
Guest- Guest
Re: Why do so many Israelis hate Breaking the Silence?
by Guest Wed Dec 16, 2015 7:01 pm
lol so again sassy does as she does with Israel's by deligitimizing them, as this reporter claims to also do.
Need I say anymore. That is one persons view
Where is the evidence to denounce what they collated?
Nothing so instead sassy tries deligitimzing in the hope the evidence goes away. Sorry the evidence is credible
Its like the fact around 99 percent of Israeli's are zionists, basically believeing in the right of a Jewish home for Israel and to defend this. Some see a theological zionist which is absurd, some see an extremism view, but what reason would there be to fundementally hate the majority of zionists who just back the right of Jews to have a home in Israel?
I persoanlly do not believe in zionism as its steeped in religion, but I have no reason to hate zionists as I do believe in self determination. So why would I hate Zionists? Only those who hate zionism, use it as a cover to hate Israeli Jews or Israel itself.
If the vast majority of Israelis back zionism, then those that hate them as zionists are hating them as Jews and Israelis.
Racism at its best and its always the left doing what Hitler did, deligitimizing.
Need I say anymore. That is one persons view
Where is the evidence to denounce what they collated?
Nothing so instead sassy tries deligitimzing in the hope the evidence goes away. Sorry the evidence is credible
Its like the fact around 99 percent of Israeli's are zionists, basically believeing in the right of a Jewish home for Israel and to defend this. Some see a theological zionist which is absurd, some see an extremism view, but what reason would there be to fundementally hate the majority of zionists who just back the right of Jews to have a home in Israel?
I persoanlly do not believe in zionism as its steeped in religion, but I have no reason to hate zionists as I do believe in self determination. So why would I hate Zionists? Only those who hate zionism, use it as a cover to hate Israeli Jews or Israel itself.
If the vast majority of Israelis back zionism, then those that hate them as zionists are hating them as Jews and Israelis.
Racism at its best and its always the left doing what Hitler did, deligitimizing.
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