ABUSE OF PALESTINIANS BY ISRAELI TROOPS THE NORM, NOT ABERRATION

Israeli reservists critical of their military’s treatment of Palestinians have released new photos that show Israeli soldiers holding assault rifles to the head of a blindfolded Palestinian man and spray-painting “Be right back” on the wall of a Gaza home. The images, released on October 25 by the Breaking the Silence group, are the latest in a series of pictures to surface in recent months showing soldiers mistreating Palestinians. Breaking the Silence said it published the pictures on its Facebook page to rebut the military’s contention that improper conduct by soldiers is an aberration. “We will continue to release photos every so often to prove that this is the norm, this is how soldiers behave, and this is the price of occupation,” said group member Yehuda Shaul. “We lose our ability to see Palestinians as our equals.”