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WHAT IS ZIONISM? - JUDAISM VERSUS ZIONISM
Judaism: believes in One G-d who revealed the Torah. It affirms Divine Providence and, accordingly, views Jewish exile as a punishment for sin. Redemption may be achieved solely through prayer and penance. Judaism calls upon all Jews to obey the Torah in its entirety including the commandment to be patriotic citizens.
Zionism: rejects the Creator, His Revelation and reward and punishment. Among its fruits are the persecution of the Palestinian people and the spiritual and physical endangering of the Jewish people. It encourages treasonous, dual loyalty among unsuspecting Jews throughout the world. At its root Zionism sees reality as barren and desacralized. It is the antithesis of Torah Judaism.
There is a vile lie, which stalks the Jewish people across the globe. It is a lie so heinous, so far from the truth, that it can only gain popularity due to the complicity of powerful forces in the "mainstream" media and educational establishment.
It is a lie which has brought many innocent people untold suffering and if unchecked has the potential to create extraordinary tragedy in the future.
It is the lie that declares that Judaism and Zionism are identical.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Judaism is the belief in revelation at Sinai. It is the belief that exile is a punishment for Jewish sins.
Zionism has for over a century denied Sinaitic revelation. It believes that Jewish exile can be ended by military aggression.
Zionism has spent the past century strategically dispossessing the Palestinian people. It has ignored their just claims and subjected them to persecution, torture and death.
Torah Jews the world over are shocked and pained at this short-lived dogma of irreligiosity and cruelty. Thousands of Torah scholars and saints have condemned this movement from its inception. They knew that the pre-existing good relationship between Jews and Muslims in the Holy Land was bound to suffer as Zionism advanced.
The so-called "State of Israel" stands rejected on religious grounds by the Torah. Its monstrous insensitivity to the laws of basic decency and fairness appall all men be they Jewish or not.
We of Neturei Karta have been in the forefront of the battle against Zionism for over a century.
Our presence here is to refute the base lie that the evil, which is Zionism, in some way represents the Jewish people.
The reverse is true.
We are saddened day in and day out at the terrible toll of death emanating from the Holy Land. Not one of them would have occurred if Zionism had not unleashed its evil energies upon the world.
As Jews we are called upon to live in peace and harmony with all men. We are exhorted to be law abiding and patriotic citizens in all lands.
We condemn the current Zionist atrocities in the Holy Land. We yearn for peace based upon mutual respect. We are convinced that this proposed mutual respect is doomed to fail as long as the Israeli state exists. We welcome its abolition in a peaceful manner.
May we be worthy of true redemption when all men will join in brotherhood in His worship.
Our presence here is to refute the base lie that the evil, which is Zionism, in some way represents the Jewish people.
The reverse is true.
We are saddened day in and day out at the terrible toll of death emanating from the Holy Land. Not one of them would have occurred if Zionism had not unleashed its evil energies upon the world.
AND:
There is a vile lie, which stalks the Jewish people across the globe. It is a lie so heinous, so far from the truth, that it can only gain popularity due to the complicity of powerful forces in the "mainstream" media and educational establishment.
It is a lie which has brought many innocent people untold suffering and if unchecked has the potential to create extraordinary tragedy in the future.
It is the lie that declares that Judaism and Zionism are identical.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Breaking the Silence
Breaking the Silence is an organization of veteran Israeli soldiers that collects testimonies of soldiers who served in the Occupied Territories during the Second Intifadah.
Soldiers who serve in the Territories are witness to, and participate in military actions which change them immensely. Cases of abuse towards Palestinians, looting, and destruction of property have been the norm for years, but are still excused as military necessities, or explained as extreme and unique cases.
Our testimonies portray a different and grim picture of questionable orders in many areas regardind Palestinian civilians. These demonstrate the depth of corruption which is spreading in the Israeli military.
While this reality which is known to Israeli soldiers and commanders exists in Israel's back yard, Israeli society continues to turn a blind eye, and to deny that which happens in its name.
Discharged soldiers who return to civilian life discover the gap between the reality which they encountered in the Territories , and the silence which they encounter at home. In order to become a civilian again, soldiers are forced to ignore their past experiences.
Breaking the Silence voices the experiences of those soldiers, in order to force Israeli society to address the reality which it created.
Until today, Breaking the Silence interviewed hundreds of soldiers who served in the territories, and continues interviewing soldiers daily.
These interviews are published on this website, in testimonial booklets, through different media outlets, and also through lectures and tours to Hebron. The testimonies are published with minimal editing and with complete confidentiality, in order to protect the soldiers and to encourage them to speak.
We demand accountability regarding Israel's military actions in the Occupied territories perpetrated by us and in our name.
Testimony Collection Process
SInce 2004, Breaking the Silence has collected testimonies from over 650 soldierswho have served in the teritorries since the beginning of the second Intifadah.
The collectors of the testimonies are veteran combatants themeselves. Every soldier who gives a testimony to Breaking the Silence knows the aims of the organization and the interview.
Most soldiers choose to remain anonymous, do to various pressures from official military persons and society at large. Breaking the SIlence's first priority is towards the soldiers who want to explain to the public about their service.
Israel soldiers speak out on Gaza
A group of soldiers who took part in Israel's assault in Gaza say widespread abuses were committed against civilians under "permissive" rules of engagement.
The troops said they had been urged to fire on any building or person that seemed suspicious and said Palestinians were sometimes used as human shields.
Breaking the Silence, a campaign group made up of Israeli soldiers, gathered anonymous accounts from 26 soldiers.
Israel denies breaking the laws of war and dismissed the report as hearsay
Israel soldiers on Gaza: Excerpts
A group of Israeli soldiers who took part in the Cast Lead operation in Gaza in January have published anonymous testimonies describing a range of abuses during the conflict. The activist group which gathered them, Breaking the Silence, says they stemmed from Israeli policy and rules and engagement, not just mistakes or individual soldiers failing to follow orders.
WHITE PHOSPHORUS
White phosphorus causes very severe burns. Amnesty International says it is inherently indiscriminate and its use in urban areas was a war crime.
Testimony 8:
Q: Why fire phosphorus?
A: Because it's fun. Cool… I don't know what it's used for… I don't understand what it's even doing in our supplies if we're not supposed to use such ammo. It's ridiculous.
Testimony 11: "There was an area of about 200-300 square meters of glazed sand.... We understood this resulted from white phosphorus, and it was upsetting… in training you learn that white phosphorus is not used, and you're taught that it's not humane. You watch films and see what it does to people who are hit, and you say, 'There, we're doing it too.' That's not what I expected to see. Until that moment I had thought I belonged to the most humane army in the world."
Israeli position: The Israeli military initially denied white phosphorous was used. It later admitted it had been, but said it had not breached international law, saying the use of shells using the chemical as a smokescreen rather than an incendiary weapon was lawful.