News

A day after Facebook photos of IDF reserve soldier Eden Abergil posing with detained Palestinians hit the internet, Israeli pro-Palestinian organization Breaking the Silence posted an album full of similar pictures on the social networking site on Tuesday.

In a Facebook group titled "the norm that IDF spokesman Avi Benayahu denies," the organization writes: "Unsurprisingly, the IDF spokesman released a 'shocked' statement saying that this is the 'shameless and ugly behavior of one soldier.' This picture is not the ugly behavior of one person, but a norm throughout the army...that is a result of military rule over a civilian population over a long time."

Breaking the Silence collects testimonies of soldiers who served in the West Bank, that discuss cases of abuse towards Palestinians. The organization describes its goal as to "portray a different and grim picture of questionable orders in many areas regarding Palestinian civilians."