Thread by @BtSIsrael

BIG NEWS:
Head of IDF Central Command ends the practice of 'mapping'—invasions into homes of innocent Palestinians in the oPt. Huge credit to @sfardm's petition on behalf of @YeshDin & @PHRIsrael and a report we co-authored w/ them which described exactly what mapping looks like.

Despite our many testimonies, many claimed there's no way soldiers enter homes of Palestinians who aren't suspected of anything. Now it's clear that this was part of the IDF's routine in the oPt. It's hard to underestimate the impact of this decision on the lives of Palestinians.

Clearly, the occupation is still very much with us: soldiers will still invade Palestinian homes for other reasons and we'll have to wait and see if this decision is actually implemented. life-exposed.com/eng/

But if this proves anything, it's that silence-breaking works. It's a slow process, and it requires us - civil society orgs and all those for whom human rights are important - to keep working at it. But every small victory like this one is another crack in the wall of occupation.

Here's a reminder about what mapping is: A home invasion by armed soldiers, usually in the dead of night, to sketch a map of the house and collect details on its *innocent* residents. Imagine your home being a place in which you can never feel totally safe.haaretz.com/israel-news/.p…

"Enter a house, wake everybody up at around 2-3 [AM], old people, adults, women, children. You wake everybody up, gather them all in the living room... Two (soldiers) stay with them, collect IDs, write things down." - 1st Sgt., 50th Battalion, Hebron, 2016.bit.ly/2Sw3L5O

But intelligence was never the entire reason for carrying out mappings. The real purpose was to "demonstrate our presence"—to constantly remind the Palestinians living under occupation that we're in charge, and we have the right and ability to enter their houses whenever we want.

"I had the pictures for around a month, no one came to get them... no commander asked about them, no intelligence officer took them. I realized it was all for nothing. It was just to be there." 1st Sgt., Nahal Brigade, Hebron, 2008-10.

So yes, we're pleased with this development. Mappings could only happen where the local population lacks basic rights. Now it's time to set our sights on our next target: ending the security bubble surrounding settler violence. So speak up - until the occupation ends.