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Breaking the Silence Profile picture
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14 May, 10 tweets, 4 min read
What's going on in Gaza is horrifying, but it didn't come out of nowhere. The flare-up comes after months of tension bubbling under the surface across Israel & the oPt that have translated into the riots we've seen over the last few days, alongside the assault on Gaza.

~THREAD~
Kahanists (Jewish supremacists) have been fanning the flames for a long time now. Of course, this does not absolve Palestinian rioters or Hamas of responsibility. But we don't hear enough in the media about Kahanists.
Reminder:
5 months ago, 100s of Kahanists attacked Palestinians & police officers in Jerusalem. 11 were injured. Of course, their political patrons Smotrich (a former minister) and Ben-Gvir weren't calling for the rioters to be shot as they are now.haaretz.com/israel-news/.p…
The trigger was the death of Ahuvia Sandak, a teenage settler who was killed in a police chase after allegedly throwing stones at Palestinians. After that, a wave of extreme violence ensued for months: Palestinians & HR activists were routinely beaten up.
Kahanists were the first to jump on the wagon when two Palestinians beat up a rabbi in Jaffa. On April 22, two Kahanist groups sent out calls to arms to attack Palestinians at a march held by Kahanist group 'Lehava'. Ben-Gvir ran one of these groups. timesofisrael.com/clashes-break-…
This violence was fully documented but barely reported. Even less was said about the quiet violence, the bureaucracy through which settlers tried to expel Palestinians from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah, E.Jerusalem—a law giving Israelis rights that it totally denies Palestinians.
And of course, when the violence in Sheikh Jarrah began, it was none other than Ben-Gvir who rushed over to fan the flames by setting up his parliamentary 'office' in the heart of the neighborhood. His very presence was highly provocative and immediately ignited riots.
Over the last week, Kahanist Whatsapp groups have been filled with calls for violence leading to armed groups of settlers and their sympathizers arriving in the mixed Jewish/Palestinian cities of Lod, Ramle, Bat Yam etc. Many have been seriously injured.
What we are seeing today is the initial phase of the Kahanist vision for Israel. Hard to believe? Take a look at what has been going on for years in the center of Hebron. The Palestinian-free 'sterile' roads, the daily setter violence, the massive military presence.
And like in Hebron, if it were the Kahanists alone, they would have no real power. Their power comes from the backing they receive from above, directly from Netanyahu and generations of Israeli governments. haaretz.com/israel-news/el…

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More from @BtSIsrael

Breaking the Silence Profile picture
15 May
A lot has been said recently about the IDF spokesperson unit conveying misleading information for operational purposes. But another less talked about aspect is the use of different messages and even personas, depending on their targeted audience.

A few recent examples >>> Image
In English they said our strikes on Gaza are aimed solely at terror targets, and that great efforts are made to ensure civilians wouldn’t be hurt.

In Hebrew the strikes were "the furthest thing possible from 'surgical'" & are conducted even at the price of harming civilians. ImageImageImage
The Unit's Instagram page in Hebrew features a 'before and after' graphic of a high-rise tower block in Gaza being destroyed.

They preferred not to invite their English-speaking followers to see that harsh contrast, by not uploading any such post. Image
Read 5 tweets
Breaking the Silence Profile picture
24 Mar
Israel woke up this morning to the horrifying reality of Kahanists (Jewish Supremacists) being elected to parliament.
We were horrified, but not surprised. Anyone familiar with the reality in the city of Hebron could see this coming from miles away.
In February, Netanyahu brokered an agreement between Kahane's disciple Ben Gvir, and Smotrich, another settler extremist, to ensure they would make it into the Knesset. But the political legitimacy given to Kahanists began long before Netanyahu made sure to have them elected.
It began when Govt after Govt bowed to the Kahanists' demands in Hebron and throughout the oPt. It began when violence against Palestinians was met with no resistance and became the easiest way to occupy more and more land.
Read 8 tweets
Breaking the Silence Profile picture
3 Feb
Last October, Israelis were rightly horrified to hear that ~400 acres of forest burned down as a direct result of an IDF training exercise carried out in a nature reserve,despite warnings.
Now look at what happened when the IDF insisted on training in a Palestinian village today:
This is Jinba, a village in Firing Zone 918. Large-scale artillery forces arrived there this AM w/ armored vehicles. In response to @acri_online who reminded them of the damage caused last time, the IDF promised to avoid damaging residents' property. But somehow, this happened:
And this is what some of the agricultural lands looked like this morning, after the heavy armored vehicles flattened them. The residents depend on this land for their livelihood. Several months of hard work can be destroyed in a matter of minutes. (Video: Guy Botavia)
Read 11 tweets
Breaking the Silence Profile picture
2 Feb
"It's one of the ways to enhance [our] governance and our grip on the open space, and to enforce law and order." This was the message the Hebron Hills Regional Council sent to the settlers it represents on the large-scale IDF training exercise taking place in the area today.
The Council appears to be delighted that armored vehicles, artillery units and hundreds of soldiers will be simulating a war in their neighborhood. Why? Because it sends a clear message to the Palestinian communities in the area: you're not wanted here. The Israeli military trains next to the Palestinian village
It's been years since the IDF used this area known as 'Firing Zone 918' for training. But now that the Supreme Court verdict is expected on the Palestinian residents' impending eviction, it seems the authorities are keen to create facts on the ground.
Read 4 tweets
Breaking the Silence Profile picture
21 Jan
The extreme right wing pro-occupation group Ad Kan are at it again. Yesterday they filed a defamation suit against us and a former soldier, shamelessly claiming that testimonies we published in our booklet on Gaza (bit.ly/3a6XWR5) amount to 'libel'.
You may remember our previous posts about Ad Kan (see below). Every one of their suits against us has been thrown out: no court could find anything wrong with what we do. And we have no doubt, not an ounce, that this time will be no different.
But they'll continue trying. Because from their point of view, every utterance against Israel's continued control over the occupied territories amounts to blasphemy. Anyone who speaks out is a danger. And they'll do whatever it takes to smear us.
Read 8 tweets
Breaking the Silence Profile picture
11 Jan
Late Friday night, soldiers invaded the home of Sami Hureini in the S. Hebron Hills, arresting him for "attacking a soldier & disturbing public order" at a nonviolent protest that afternoon. Despite the 'attack', none of the 150 protesters was arrested at the demo itself.
Reminded us of this:
"The evening before the demonstration [...] where the demonstrators gather, [we would] throw a few stun grenades into Bil'in [...] I believe the goal was to deter people from joining the demonstration the next day."
breakingthesilence.org.il/testimonies/da…
Sami has been organizing non-violent protests in the territories for years; this isn't his first arrest and probably won't be his last. That's the price you pay for protesting in the oPt, if you're Palestinian. The demo on Friday was to protest this:
Read 5 tweets

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