Israelis don’t want to confront the ugly truth about the occupation

That’s too bad, because in not one case have reports and testimonies collected by Breaking the Silence been proved wrong.

By Zeev Sternhell | Dec. 27, 2015 | http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.693744

During the Dreyfus affair, when despair gnawed at the supporters of the ill-fated Jewish captain, Georges Clemenceau, the editor of the newspaper that would publish Emile Zola’s “J’Accuse” and a future prime minister who would lead France to victory in World War I, wrote: “People don’t know. That’s the biggest tragedy on earth.” This harsh truth keeps repeating elsewhere.
This truth undermines the foundations of democracy and casts doubt on its rationale. People don’t want to confront the ugly truth. Thus immense courage and endless devotion and love for this country, despite all its ills, are required to carry on with the mission undertaken by Breaking the Silence.
These people deserve great respect, as do their supporters such as Maj. Gen. (res.) Amiram Levin, who once led the elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit. Another example of ethical reflection during war was provided by Col. Eli Geva, a commander of a tank brigade who resigned during the first Lebanon war rather than open fire on a civilian area.http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.693744