BREAKING: @washingtonpost investigation reveals IDF rollout of "Blue Wolf" — highly invasive surveillance technology to record the personal data and keep track of Palestinians living in the West Bank.
This invasion of privacy is on a whole new level. washingtonpost.com/world/middle_e…
According to testimonies given by soldiers to Breaking the Silence, IDF units in the West Bank were *incentivized to compete against each other* to photograph and collect the data of as many Palestinians as possible.
In the densely populated Palestinian city of Hebron, the IDF uses 'Hebron Smart City': smart CCTV cameras, radar, movement sensors and other hi-tech equipment to identify and track the Palestinian residents' every movement, throughout the city, in real time.
The investigation also reveals how Israeli settlers who employ Palestinians use an adjacent app, White Wolf, to scan Palestinian IDs, which feeds into the same system.
We've been 'making our presence felt' in Palestinian towns and villages, on street patrols and in home invasions, for decades now. But the use of cutting edge technology to do so, and on this scale, is unprecedented.
The Orwellian undertones of this story are deeply disturbing, but hardly surprising. While Israel prides itself on its thriving hi-tech economy and sells weapons and cyber technology around the world, we've been holding Palestinians under military occupation for 54 years now.
Our total disregard for Palestinian human rights means we can use this kind of technology without ever having to justify ourselves, without having to consider the implications on the lives of those living under our control.
As our exec director @AGvaryahu said: “Whilst surveillance & privacy are at the forefront of the global public discourse, we see here another disgraceful assumption by the Israeli govt and military that when it comes to Palestinians, basic human rights are simply irrelevant.”
And finally—
This story came to light thanks to the brave soldiers who came forward to breakingthesilence.org.il to testify about what they saw and did. It is due to their efforts and all those who have broken their silence, that the occupation will eventually be brought to an end.
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We are excited to introduce you to our new Executive Director - @weimanadav. Quite a few of you likely already know him. Maybe he guided you through a tour of Hebron or Masafer Yatta, maybe you saw him at a speaking event, or being interviewed on the reality unfolding in Gaza.🧵
After 11 years with us, Nadav knows the occupation like the back of his hand. We are proud that he is with us in the struggle to end the occupation.
And now, in his own words:
I am excited to announce that I have been chosen to be the new Executive Director of Breaking the Silence, stepping into the big shoes of my friend and colleague @AGvaryahu (thank you and good luck). Yes, it’s a challenging position in an incredibly challenging time.
Stray dogs carry severed limbs, as soldiers burn houses, shooting at everything that moves:
6 IDF soldiers told @OrenZiv_ of @972mag of the hell that is the war in Gaza.
Now, let’s compare their testimonies to the official IDF response to the article.
The contrast is glaring. 🧵
“Open-fire instructions were given to all IDF soldiers fighting in the Gaza Strip and on the borders upon entering combat [...] and [are] approved by the most senior officials in the IDF.”
IDF Spokesperson statement
“The open-fire instructions provide a relevant response to all operational situations, [...] while emphasizing the reduction of harm to people who are not identified as enemies or who do not pose a threat to their lives.”
IDF Spokesperson statement
42 IDF reservists who were sent to fight in Gaza since Oct. 7 signed a letter of refusal to continue serving. While many in Israel debate the legitimacy of refusal, barely any are dealing with the reality those soldiers described to @lizarozovsky of @haaretzcom last week🧵
“The vibe is 'You can fire wherever you want. You have to get permission, but there will be permission. It's only bureaucratic.' I can count on one hand the times when we were told: 'You can't fire there.'"
Michael, Infantry Control Officer haaretz.com/israel-news/20…
"You see them taking down vehicles, buildings, people [...] Many people, including me, have the experience of 'Wow, it's insane,' and there are those who say, 'We're showing them, screwing them, taking revenge.' That's the vibes you hear in the war room."
Michael
Saturday, near Jenin, IDF soldiers tied Mujahid Abadi, 24, to the hood of their vehicle. How does an innocent man, even by the IDF's own account, end up shot twice before being apprehended, tied to a moving vehicle and then released? 🧵
Abadi had awoken at his uncle’s place to the sound of a gunfight during an IDF raid. He was shot in the shoulder while trying to leave the area, and again in the leg while hiding behind a vehicle. He was then beaten, photographed and identified before the drive began.
“He drove back and forth like he wanted to torture me. No one could touch the jeep, I still have burns from the heat," Abadi said, adding that only after the drive was he notified that he was not a wanted suspect. The IDF later said the incident was “inconsistent with protocols.”
For 2 days, hundreds of settlers rampaged through the West Bank, burning, destroying, and shooting live fire, resulting in the death of at least one Palestinian and injuring tens. But it isn’t just on them. It’s on the entire Israeli security establishment, and especially the IDF
The attacks were organized openly in Whatsapp and Telegram groups, and began hours before the murdered body of 14 year old Binyamin Ahimeir was found. What stopped security forces from preventing these mass acts of violence? Probably the will to do so.
"Some were in IDF uniforms yielding guns. 20-30 people beat me, and I shouted 'help' hoping that soldiers would hear me, but they are the soldiers" said Shaul Golan, a seventy-year-old news photographer who the settlers beat yesterday while he covered the unfolding events.
The heated discussion surrounding director Jonathan Glazer’s speech at the Oscars last night is mostly missing the point. His main message was simple and yet vital: empathy is not a zero-sum game.
Glazer did not "deny his Jewishness", as some seemingly purposely misunderstood. He took an unequivocal stance against the cynical utilization of Judaism and the Holocaust in the name of justifying the occupation. These "misunderstandings" aren't new.
It’s possible to oppose the killing of innocent civilians in Gaza and still care for the safety of Israeli hostages. One can worry about Israelis who were evacuated from their homes after Oct 7 and still be horrified by the conditions in which so many are currently living in Gaza