On Facebook: Israeli soldier posed with bound Arab

[_Simpson_ 250]

JERUSALEM – A former Israeli soldier posted photos on Facebook of herself in uniform smiling beside bound and blindfolded Palestinian prisoners, drawing sharp criticism Monday from the Israeli military and Palestinian officials.

Israeli news websites and blogs showed two photographs of the woman. In one, she is sitting legs crossed beside a blindfolded Palestinian man who is slumped against a concrete barrier. His face is turned downwards, while she leans toward him with her face upturned. Another shows her smiling at the camera with three Palestinian men with bound hands and blindfolds behind her.

The incident was a reminder of the fraught relations between Israeli soldiers and the West Bank Palestinians under their control.

Israeli soldiers have run into trouble on the social media sites like Facebook and YouTube before. Most recently a group of combat soldiers were reprimanded for breaking into choreographed dance moves while on patrol in the West Bank town of Hebron. The dance featured prominently on YouTube.

Palestinian Authority spokesman Ghassan Khatib condemned the photos and said they pointed to a deeper malaise — how Israel's 43-year-old occupation of Palestinians has affected the Israelis who enforce it.

"This shows the mentality of the occupier," Khatib said, "to be proud of humiliating Palestinians. The occupation is unjust, immoral and, as these pictures show, corrupting."

The Israeli military also criticized the young woman, who Israeli news media and bloggers identified from her Facebook page as Eden Aberjil of the southern Israeli port town of Ashdod. No official confirmed her identity.

"These are disgraceful photos," said Capt. Barak Raz, an Israeli military spokesman. "Aside from matters of information security, we are talking about a serious violation of our morals and our ethical code and should this soldier be serving in active duty today, I would imagine that no doubt she would be court-martialed immediately," he told Associated Press Television News.

It was not clear whether the army could punish the woman, because she has finished her compulsory military service.

The comments by the woman and her friend in an exchange below one photograph suggested how casually the picture was treated, including jokes and sexual innuendoes.

"You're the sexiest like that," her friend wrote.

"I wonder if he's got Facebook!" the woman in the photograph responded. "I have to tag him in the picture!"

Aberjil did not respond to reporters' questions Monday.

The photographs were a reminder of snapshots taken in 2003 by American soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq that showed Iraqi detainees naked, humiliated and terrified. In that case, some soldiers went to prison after the photos came to light.

The photographs of the Israeli soldier and the Palestinians, by contrast, show no overt physical abuse or coercion of the prisoners, although they are ridiculed in the comments between the soldier and her friends.

Palestinians are routinely handcuffed and blindfolded when they are arrested to stop them from trying to flee.

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Would we give a dam if those men had just tried blowing up a elementary school? I wonder what there crime was?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Would we give a dam if those men had just tried blowing up a elementary school? I wonder what there crime was?

Is it somehow necessary to assume that in order to justify it?

[^_^ 5,021]

"These are disgraceful photos," said Capt. Barak Raz, an Israeli military spokesman. "Aside from matters of information security, we are talking about a serious violation of our morals and our ethical code and should this soldier be serving in active duty today, I would imagine that no doubt she would be court-martialed immediately," he told Associated Press Television News.

+1.

Palestinian Authority spokesman Ghassan Khatib condemned the photos and said they pointed to a deeper malaise — how Israel's 43-year-old occupation of Palestinians has affected the Israelis who enforce it.

"This shows the mentality of the occupier," Khatib said, "to be proud of humiliating Palestinians. The occupation is unjust, immoral and, as these pictures show, corrupting."

+1 to this too. Occupations do indeed corrupt those who enforce it.

[HAL 9000 96]

This is exactly how you win hearts and minds and show the world you really do mean serious business.

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

I wonder how many images I could find of bound, blindfolded headless corpses on the webz?

[Jenn! 918]

Is it somehow necessary to assume that in order to justify it?

To get amusement out of another human being's suffering, no matter what they've done, is barbaric.

Note that I've said amusement. Not "a sense of justice" or "relief".

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I wonder how many images I could find of bound, blindfolded headless corpses on the webz?

A few, I'm sure. The question being: why would you?

To get amusement out of another human being's suffering, no matter what they've done, is barbaric.

Indeed it is.

[HAL 9000 96]

A few, I'm sure. The question being: why would you?

If we tried to make it relevant... these pics would need to be taken by Palestinians of Israelis. To my knowledge, that isn't the preferred method of terror of those Palestinians that are, to put it bluntly, fighting for their land.

[_Simpson_ 250]

Is it somehow necessary to assume that in order to justify it?

Justify what? Good grief. Quit it with your I take the high road drama.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Justify what? Good grief. Quit it with your I take the high road drama.

It's a reasonable question. Why would you ask what the men's crime was and if we would care "if those men had just tried blowing up a elementary school?" if not to somehow justify the actions of the soldier who is the subject of the story?

Edited August 17, 2010 by Its a MADHOUSE

[HAL 9000 96]

Justify what? Good grief. Quit it with your I take the high road drama.

It usually is best to take the high road on things, IMO. Better than the low road, that is.

[_Simpson_ 250]

To get amusement out of another human being's suffering, no matter what they've done, is barbaric.

Note that I've said amusement. Not "a sense of justice" or "relief".

They are blindfolded and handcuffed. A procedure that is lawful and humane. How exactly are these people suffering?

Seriously there is enough drama here at VJ we dont need you adding to it.

[^_^ 5,021]

Interesting, how he thinks taking the high road is "drama".

He must not be used to taking it, nor must he be used to hanging around people who take it.

Sounds to me like he needs to hang out with a different set of people.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

They are blindfolded and handcuffed. A procedure that is lawful and humane. How exactly are these people suffering?

Seriously there is enough drama here at VJ we dont need you adding to it.

Simpson, let's drop the royal "we" shall we?

If you didn't want drama why post the story, then add a comment that sounds as if you are justifying it?

[_Simpson_ 250]

It's a reasonable question. Why would you ask what the men's crime was and if we would care "if those men had just tried blowing up a elementary school?" if not to somehow justify the actions of the soldier who is the subject of the story?

because if these men had just blown up a elementary school very view people would of given a dam, like it or not it is what it is.

As far as the soldier goes I think it wasnt a smart thing to do for the sake of the bigger picture. That said had I been the only one to see the pic and I knew these prisoners had just tried to blow up a elementary school I wouldnt think any less of her, would you?