Military Raid Exhibition of Solidiers Photos

international | arts and media | news report Wednesday June 23, 2004 08:47 by Colm Walsh - Gush-Shalom upkildare at eircom dot net Thoran road Ballitore Athy Kildare

Israeli Defence Forces silence exhibit in Tel-Aviv

The Israel Defense Force's Military Police on Tuesday raided the
"Breaking the Silence" exhibit of photographs taken by Nahal Brigade
soldiers during their military service in Hebron, confiscating a folder
containing the clips of articles about the exhibit and a videotape with
statements made by some 70 soldiers about their experiences in the West
Bank city.

International release

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Israeli Defence Force raids exhibit in Tel-Aviv
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[The army, furious about the soldiers' exhibit, decided to react in a
manner which is daily practice in the occupied territories - an
illustration of what we always knew: in the long run the occupation
corrupts the Israeli society.The following was put this evening on the
Ha'aretz internet site.]

IDF raids photo exhibit of soldiers who served in Hebron

By Jonathan Lis, Haaretz Correspondent

Last Update: 22/06/2004 22:57
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/442123.html


Hebrew/òáøéú:


The Israel Defense Force's Military Police on Tuesday raided the
"Breaking the Silence" exhibit of photographs taken by Nahal Brigade
soldiers during their military service in Hebron, confiscating a folder
containing the clips of articles about the exhibit and a videotape with
statements made by some 70 soldiers about their experiences in the West
Bank city.


The four reservist soldiers who initiated and organized the exhibit were
also summoned to interrogations Wednesday by Military Police.

The army said the raid was meant to uncover evidence of violence and
vandalism done to Palestinians and their property. The reservists who
organized the show said the army was trying to intimidate and silence
those soldiers who gave evidence about brutality in Hebron and to silence
any other soldiers who planned to give evidence about what they have seen
take place in that city.

Micha Kurtz, one of the exhibit's organizers, said Tuesday, "We
anticipated that the army would send the chief education officer or maybe
even the Judge Advocate General to learn from the soldiers' evidence,
because our main message was that every soldier age 18 is going to
encounter such situations.

"But instead, they sent the MPs," said Kurtz. "They are trying to
frighten us and other soldiers who have expressed readiness to take part
in the project," he said, accusing the army of preferring to repress
criticism rather than learn from the evidence and testimony that was part
of the exhibit.

"The MPs, for example, didn't take the 60 sets of car keys that were
illegally confiscated from Palestinians by soldiers in Hebron," he said,
adding, "in fact, the IDF continues to deny the fact those keys were
taken in the first place."

The IDF Spokeswoman's office explained Tuesday that "The IDF educates its
soldiers to behave according to moral standards in complex situations
that include very difficult moral dilemmas. In the wake of reports
quoting the participants in the exhibit about alleged crimes of violence
and damage to property against Palestinians, the Judge Advocate General
ordered a Military Police probe of the complaints. The MPs gave the
exhibit's organizers a court order requiring them to hand over all the
material that could help the inquiry and a summons to provide evidence
and testimony to the investigators."

The exhibit opened this month at the Tel Aviv Geographic Film School. It
includes photographs taken by soldiers who served in Hebron whether as
reservists or as conscripts. Many of the photographs were hung
anonymously, without naming the photographer. The soldiers gave their
images to photographer Miki Kratzman, who curated the show. Sixty of the
90 photos record aspects of the conflict with the Palestinians and
settlers, and 30 depict the soldiers in their daily routines.

Next week, the exhibit will go up at the Knesset.