I mean, OK:
During the court proceedings, Zeidat’s girlfriend stood up and asked the judge for permission to conduct a brief engagement ceremony before Zeidat returns to jail… the judge permitted the two to conduct a brief engagement ceremony outside the courtroom. Both Zeidat and Adra’s family, who were in the courtroom, attended the ceremony. As soldiers gathered outside the court clapped, the young couple exchanged rings and hugged each other.
And they say Israeli soldiers have no heart. But this brings out a serious point: Israel is in a difficult position when it comes to their soldiers. They demand that the soldiers remain moral, humane individuals – but they must put them in positions where their basic humanity is risked in the day-to-day grind of trying to deal with a hostile population. And yet even Israel’s military is committed to preventing their soldiers from becoming monsters:
Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon is encouraging IDF soldiers to speak with their commanders about issues that bother them while fighting in the territories, calling on them to “break their silence”. Speaking before the IDF reserve command last night, Lt. Gen. Ya’alon referred to testimonies presented by the new movement “Breaking the Silence”. The group is comprised of soldiers who served in the territories during the recent intifada, who claim that the IDF’s moral standard has suffered tremendously in the past four years.
This, of course, distinguishes the Jewish State’s military from every other military on the planet (ok, ok – I guess there are armies in Scandinavia that spend all their time examining hypothetical questions about morality and warfare – but I meant armies that actually have to fight).
