Breaking the Silence is an organization of veteran soldiers who have served in the Israeli military since the start of the Second Intifada, who are collecting evidence and testimony from other Israeli soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) systematic use of Palestinians as human shields. Israel’s daily Haaretz has also been independently documenting this story. One Israeli soldier said that at the start of the war that they used dog units to search for explosives, but had instead used Palestinians in their place “because too many dogs had died,” according to Britain’s The Guardian. Nadav Weiman, executive director of Breaking the Silence, said that at first they believed that the IDF’s practices were used only by a single commander acting illegally, but soon found out that it was so widespread and used by so many units throughout Gaza, that the group now refers to it as a military “protocol.” Military commanders not only know about the abuse, but openly assert, “Our lives are more important than their lives.” The Palestinians used in this way are referred to as “shawish,” meaning a low-ranking, expendable soldier.
Typically the Israelis choose young Palestinian men, who are believed to be non-combatants (since if they were thought to be combatants they would be sent away for interrogation). These men represent no threat to Israel and are picked up solely for this clearing purpose. The IDF dress the Palestinian in an Israeli military uniform, tie his hands, put a camera on his body, and send the Palestinian civilian into a tunnel or building that might be booby-trapped with explosives or other devices. Israeli soldiers will follow him once the path appears to be safe. The Palestinian is often told, “Do this one mission … and you’re free” to rejoin your family.
Al Jazeera reportedly broadcast a video clip in July of Palestinian civilians, sometimes dressed in IDF uniforms, being sent into destroyed buildings. The practice is illegal under Israeli law and also international law. The Israeli military has tried to justify its bombing of schools and hospitals by accusing Hamas of using civilians as human shields, but Weiman demanded to know: “How can we say that kind of thing after we’re doing this, after we’re taking Palestinians as human shields?”
