The IDF's first digital rebellion
Soldiers holding up signs saying 'We also stand with David Hanahlawi
(Hebrew slang for a Nahal soldier).'
Photo by From the Facebook page 'I stand with David Hanahlawi '
The almost routine clip of a violent clash
between a soldier and Palestinians in Hebron that took the Internet by
storm recently reveals much about the IDF’s procedure in the West Bank
in the era of social networks.
On
the one hand, a considerable number of incidents of the kind that
weren’t documented in the past are now photographed and published. On
the other, the soldiers − who hadn’t taken any part in the debate in the
past − now express their opinion blatantly on the net, siding with the
soldier who got into trouble.
The
Jewish settlement in the heart of Hebron is the most documented place
in the territories. A few years ago B’Tselem, The Israeli Information
Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, as well as other
human right and leftist organizations, distributed video cameras to
Palestinian residents for documenting the soldiers’ and settlers’
violent acts. Beit Hadassah’s close, bad neighborhood with Tel Rumeida
provides fertile ground for incidents worth filming − from brutal acts
of violence to futile arguments over raising a Palestinian flag.
The
army carefully prepares every battalion posted in the city for similar
events. Soldiers are trained in simulated events, with soldiers playing
Palestinians and settlers. They are even warned of the damage a hand
blocking a camera lens can do to the army’s image. Yet every battalion
falls into the same media pitfalls.
In
this case, a Nahal Brigade soldier was video-taped fighting with a
number of young Palestinians. One of the youngsters provoked the soldier
and put his hand on him. The soldier told him: “You’d better not do
that again.” A clash evolved and when another Palestinian approached,
the soldier cocked his gun, pointed it at them and tried to kick one of
them. Then he turned to the Palestinian photographer, swore at him and
threatened him: “Turn off the camera, I’ll stick a bullet in your head
you son of a bitch.”
In the background other Palestinians and settlers are seen, including a girl who tried to stop the camera’s action.
An
erroneous report that the soldier had been dismissed from his post and
sent to jail for his conduct raised an Internet uproar. Later the IDF
spokesman made it clear that the incident with the Palestinians was
filmed several hours after the soldier had already been put on
disciplinary trial for other, unconnected, violent offenses. Apparently,
he had attacked a company commander and a squad commander with brass
knuckles and his battalion commander sent him to jail for this.
The
incident with the Palestinians is still being investigated and the
military authorities have not come to a decision yet. The IDF spokesman
said Wednesday that the soldier’s conduct toward the Palestinians “is
irregular and not in keeping with what is expected of him.” The
spokesman said “his incarceration took place following violence toward
his soldiers without any connection to the clip. The violent incidents
in the Nahal Brigade are dealt with severely and are not in keeping with
the IDF’s values.”
But
these clarifications did not stop the soldiers’ protest. Hundreds of
soldiers posted pictures of themselves with posters saying “I too am
with David Hanahlawi [Hebrew slang for a Nahal soldier]” on the News
0404 portal and the social networks.
The
sympathy for the soldier was such that even a picture with a poster
saying “Golani is with the Nahlawi” was posted. A Facebook page
dedicated to supporting the soldier got tens of thousands of likes in 24
hours. Soldiers said the soldier was in a dangerous situation in a
clash with Palestinians and “preserved the IDF’s deterrence.”
Most of soldiers, from infantry brigades and other units, took care to hide their faces in the photographs.
The
soldier’s conduct, as shown on the clip, is not irregular among
soldiers in the territories. Perhaps cocking the gun could be justified,
if he genuinely felt threatened. What embarrassed the army more was the
rude language and threats that were recorded.
But
the affair, which was widely covered by the media especially Wednesday,
reflects something else. In this era there are almost no barriers
between the soldier in the field and the expression of his opinions
online. If once a soldier depended on a token for the public telephone
and later needed his mother to call Israel Radio military correspondent
Carmela Menashe, today it’s all a click away on the smartphone.
Many
soldiers are skilled enough to hide their identity, thus preventing the
army from punishing them for making public statements breaching IDF
regulations. This is a whole new ball park, whose rules the IDF is just
beginning to learn. Meanwhile, it seems the soldiers are a few steps
ahead of their commanders.
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