B'Tselem video shows 'destructive influence' of IDF violence

BTselem video shows de

By BEN HARTMAN
btselem film scene 248.88 (photo credit: )
btselem film scene 248.88
(photo credit: )
The B'Tselem NGO has released a short animated film that attempts to portray the "destructive influence" IDF violence against Palestinians has on Israeli society. The film, created by animator Alon Simon, depicts an incident from July 2008, in which a soldier shot a handcuffed, blindfolded Palestinian in the leg with a rubber bullet during a protest against the West Bank security barrier in Ni'ilin, near Modi'in Illit. The video includes an "interview" taken from quotes from St.-Sgt. Leonardo Koreah, the soldier who fired the rubber bullet. Describing the incident, the narrator says, "It's all a matter of seconds, I received an order, and I stepped to the side and my officer waited for me to shoot him [the Palestinian] and I shot him. Service in the territories erodes values. You see things and you say, 'Good thing they didn't film that.'" After the soldier fires the bullet and the Palestinian falls to the ground, cracks appear across the victim's body and that of the commander and Koreah. As the camera pans back, the cracks begin to spread across a mosaic of Israeli faces, both young and old, from all sectors of society. As the screen goes black, the words "The cracks are in us all" appear. According to a press release issued by B'Tselem on Monday, the video is central to a campaign meant to illustrate the "destructive influence" violence in the territories has on Israeli society. B'Tselem says the campaign is meant to show to Israelis that violence against Palestinians in the West Bank is not the result of a few rotten apples, rather it reflects a pattern of behavior that has become the norm for soldiers serving there. A spokeswoman from B'Tselem told The Jerusalem Post that the organization hopes the video will open a dialogue among Israelis over not only what happens in the territories, but how it may be affecting violence in Israeli society. "The official stance of the State of Israel is to condemn violent acts [by the IDF in the territories], but in practice, a blind eye is often turned and such violent acts are ignored," the spokeswoman said. The B'Tselem representative said the organization doesn't put the blame for violent acts squarely on individual soldiers, because the culture of acceptance is created at higher levels.