It’s Time I Break My Silence

Here is a Christian Arab's view of the Israeli army vehemently opposed to the actions of the group Breaking the Silence, who he feels are distorting the truth with suspect testimonies. Read what Yosef Haddad  writes :-

Next week, Harvard University will be hosting the Israeli organization, Breaking the Silence, an organization funded by anti-Israel groups that incites against the State of Israel and defames the IDF. BTS members speak out against the IDF; they “testify” as former soldiers, but they do not tell the entire truth of situations– they distort the truth and they tell partial stories that provide a slanted and partial picture of reality. 

They do this to serve their only purpose: to slander and defame the State of Israel and the IDF. We have so many enemies all around us who want to destroy us and it is the most painful when this defamation comes from within us. BTS will be speaking before the students of Harvard University, one of the most prestigious institutions in the world – a stronghold of future leaders in every field. Many of its students will go in to hold key positions of power and influence. In speaking before the students there, BTS will be shaping the outlook of these future leaders against the State of Israel, against our country. 

I cannot be silent, I must break my silence. I served in the IDF during the Second Intifada. It was a difficult time. I also stood at checkpoints, stood guard, arrested people and fought in the Second Lebanon War. As an Israeli Arab and IDF solider in the Golani Brigade, I served together with other Israelis: Jews of all backgrounds, Druze and Bedouin. We were all equal, we were all brothers fighting side by side and I can testify that I served in the most humane and moral army in the world, with the highest code of ethics and human values. The IDF is an army that faces complex challenges and dilemmas in an explosive region, but it is an army that is level headed and always keeps as its ultimate highest value human life. The IDF is an army that will bend over backwards to save lives and to ensure that innocent individuals are not harmed, even if it means complicating the military operation.

It is possible that there were incidents that did not live up to these standards, but these were the exceptions; they were not the norm and they were not the code by which the IDF is guided. They do not reflect the IDF nor the State of Israel. I am proud to have served under commanders who not only turned me into a better soldier but into a better person. One of the commanders who most impacted me was Israeli Major Roi Klein, who lost his life while trying to save the lives of his soldiers. During the Second Lebanese War, I was badly injured after I was hit by a cornet missile that was fired by Hezbollah. My fellow soldiers saved my life while under attack; they risked their own lives to save mine. After my injury, I received full medical care from the State of Israel until I was completely healed.

I will not let BTS spread untruths and lies against my country. Two days after BTS takes it stand at Harvard University, I will be there to speak to the students with Reservists on Duty. The truth will prevail.

Muslim, Christian and Druze Israelis Spread Truth about Jewish State

A diverse delegation of Israelis will arrive in the US next week with the Reservists on Duty organization to expose audiences to the reality on the ground for Israelis of different religious and ethnic backgrounds.

While the number of organizations dedicated to smearing Israel’s image on American college campuses remains at an all-time high, a special group of Israelis, some of whom are IDF veterans, has taken it upon themselves to expose the lies and half-truths that pass as “facts” in the world of higher education.

This group, called Reservists on Duty (RoD), has been challenging gatherings in America to question the slanted narrative about Israeli society, which demonizes both the government and people of Israel.

Next week, RoD will send a unique group of Israelis to the US, composed of Muslim, Christian and Druze citizens.

The group, which has cleverly dubbed itself “Arabs Breaking the Silence,” “want to talk about their personal experience in Israel. … to refute the claims that BDS organizations are spreading against us,” said the group’s spokesman, Jonathan Elkhoury. “They use us, Israel’s minorities, to slander Israel and say that it is racist and discriminates against its minorities, and we will say otherwise,” Elkhoury explained.

Elkhoury, an Israeli Christian who was born in Lebanon, is no stranger to real discrimination and hate. On a previous trip to the US with RoD in May, the man was subjected to verbal abuse from anti-Israel demonstrators at the University of California-Irvine which became so severe that the police were required to escort the speakers from the facility.

Hate-filled demonstrations such as these have not phased RoD speakers. In 2017 alone, 50 volunteers traveled to over 15 campuses throughout America “to educate and give truth to the lies BDS activists spread about the IDF and State of Israel,” explains RoD’s website. During these activities, RoD groups “visited Jewish and Christian communities and forged personal connections with community leaders.”