Thread by @HediViterbo

Can the Israeli military be believed?

A thread

1/20

#Palestine #Gaza #WestBank #Palestinians

Let's start with Israel's use of white phosphorus, which can cause horrific burns and injuries.

New videos, verified by @amnesty & @hrw, appear to show Israel using this weapon in civilian areas in #Gaza & #Lebanon:





2/20 amnesty.org/en/latest/news…
hrw.org/news/2023/10/1…

The Israeli military denies using white phosphorus, but in the past Israel has lied about its use of this weapon.





3/20 theguardian.com/world/2023/oct…

In 2009, reports emerged that the Israeli military had used white phosphorus in #Gaza.

At first, Israel categorically denied these reports. But then @thetimes published the evidence – and Israel was forced to admit: "Yes, phosphorus was used."



4/20 web.archive.org/web/2021062310…

Now let's look at Israeli air raids.

In 2019, Israel's air force targeted the home of a family in #Gaza, killing eight #Palestinians.

Initially, Israel claimed that the building was a training facility of Palestinian militants.



5/20 aljazeera.com/news/2019/11/1…

After the truth was revealed by the media, the Israeli military had to confess:



6/20 haaretz.co.il/news/politics/…

Israel behaves in the same way whenever its soldiers assault, abuse, or kill Palestinians.

In 2016, an Israeli military medic killed a disarmed and injured Palestinian by shooting him in the head.

At first, the military decided not to press charges against the soldier.

7/20

Then, Israeli NGO @btselem published a video of the killing, which led to condemnations around the world.

Only at that point was the soldier taken to court. He was convicted and, after 9 months, was released from prison.



8/20 btselem.org/video/20160324…

Another Israeli soldier shot to death a 17-year-old Palestinian in 2014.

The soldier was prosecuted – and convicted – only after @CNN published a video of the killing.

He spent less than a year in prison:



9/20 edition.cnn.com/2018/04/25/mid…

In that case, both the military and the soldier claimed that he had used only rubber-coated bullets.

But the autopsy, which found three live bullets, refuted their claims.



10/20 haaretz.com/israel-news/20…

Similarly, in 2018, Palestinians in the West Bank accused the Israeli military of firing tear gas into their school.

Initially, the military denied these allegations. But it was forced to admit after a video surfaced:



11/20 web.archive.org/web/2022070521…

Last year, the Israeli military had to change its story about another incident: the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

At first, Israel denied responsibility – and blamed Palestinian militants.

12/20

@AJEnglish @ShireenNasri

But then, the international media, the U.N., and the U.S. investigated the incident, and found that an Israeli soldier had killed Abu Akleh while she was wearing a blue press vest.

Israel had no choice but to admit. No soldier has been prosecuted:



13/20 edition.cnn.com/2022/09/05/mid…

Although Israel's armed forces killed 10,556 Palestinians between October 2001 and September 2023, soldiers who kill Palestinians are rarely prosecuted.

As we've seen, prosecutions usually occur when Israel is unable to deny what the soldiers did.



14/20 statistics.btselem.org/en/all-fatalit…

More than 99% of complaints regarding harm caused to Palestinians by soldiers end without a trial, according to Israeli NGO @YeshDin.

And the few soldiers who are prosecuted and convicted - tend to receive extremely lenient sentences:



15/20 yesh-din.org/en/law-enforce…

Again and again, the Israeli military denies allegations, and is forced to confess only when left with no other choice.

16/20

And even when the Israeli military admits to accusations, it makes up excuses: "we acted lawfully," "these are just a few rotten apples"…

So, the military tries to deny the facts. When this doesn't work, it denies the meaning of these facts.

17/20

Following sociologist Stanley Cohen, the former denial tactic of the Israeli military can be called "factual" (or "literal") denial.

The latter can be called "interpretive" denial.



18/20 wiley.com/en-us/States+o…

Even a retired major general in Israel has warned of the Israeli military's "culture of lying and deceit."

He describes military investigations as filled with "lies, cover-ups, cutting corners, hiding information, and coordinating testimonies":



19/20 mida.org.il/2022/02/17/%D7…

Lastly, Israel hides unflattering documents, including previously public ones.

The aim (as revealed by @Akevot & @haaretzcom) is to protect Israel's reputation, discredit critical scholars, and prevent Palestinian unrest:





20/20 web.archive.org/web/2022060220…
akevot.org.il/wp-content/upl…