The sirens will wail today and the nation will come to a halt.
It’s a collective tribute to those heroes who have fallen so that we Israelis
may live in freedom.
Yet as Michael Dickson writes , http://tinyurl.com/pmvz5aj “This year, as Israelis pay tribute to their
servicemen and women, a very different event will be taking place on
Independence Day in London. Yachad – the British version of lobby group
J-Street – together with the New Israel Fund, will be hosting “Breaking the
Silence”, a notorious anti-IDF group. No one serious would suggest
that Israel is beyond criticism but this is strange yet deliberate timing.
If
past experience is anything to go by, the audience will be treated to a flurry
of half-truths and accusations (never proven) aimed solely at blackening the
name of Israeli soldiers. Indeed, “Breaking the Silence” has made its name by
promoting a distorted and unfair portrayal of the IDF via its website and
tours.
Breaking the Silence is
hypocritical about its aims and even its name. If it wanted to present a true
picture of the IDF, it would not blatantly omit
a)
the context of terrorism, the
goals of Israel’s enemies, the deadly rockets fired from Gaza.
b)
how the enemy hides behind
Palestinian civilians and attacks Israeli civilians.
It
would raise awareness about the moral dilemmas the IDF faces. But instead, it
omits this vital context in its reports, which often consist of anonymous,
unverified testimony. Instead, their representatives embark on worldwide campus
tours, meet with political leaders and speak at the UN in order to lobby and
punish Israel.”
Conversely,
tucked away in the inner pages of the Jerusalem Post this morning was a report
of a Palestinian who was illegally attempting to scale the barrier in order to
get into Israel to seek work and fell
several metres breaking his leg. He was bleeding profusely when Israeli border
policeman St Sgt Maj Hassan Amid (an Israeli? Yes an Israeli!) rendered first aid to save his life before the
Red Crescent ambulance arrived to take him to hospital.
“In
cases like this” said Amid “we don’t think twice, we provide the best possible
first aid assistance we can”. This is
the true face of Israel.
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