Israel’s War Against Palestine: Documenting the Military Occupation of Palestinian and Arab Lands

Website reveals details of hundreds of IDF ‘war criminals’

18 November 2010

By Shanni Gurkevitch, Ynetnews.com – 18 Nov 2010
www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3986365,00.html

Those behind it claim, ‘People listed here held positions of command therefore not only did they perform on behalf of a murderous state mechanism but actively encouraged other people to do the same’

A website that went online Tuesday has published a list of 200 IDF soldiers which it classifies as directly involved in operations carried out in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead. Each entry features the soldiers and officers’ pictures and personal details, including identification numbers and addresses.

“In underlining them we are purposefully directing attention to individuals rather than the static structures through which they operate,” the website states while calling on visitors to spread the info “widely”. The reliability of the information is as yet unclear.

“Underlining the following people is an act of retribution and affront. They are the direct perpetrators, agents for the state of Israel that in Dec. – Jan. 2008- 2009 attacked scores of people in the besieged Gaza” noted the website. The website has no special design or graphics, just a table of names of soldiers listed in alphabetic order which the site claims, served in the army in the winter of 2008-2009.

Soldiers listed include officers from the very top of the IDF hierarchy – Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and down to a sergeant in the infantry training program.

“The people listed here held positions of command at the time of the attack therefore not only did they perform on behalf of a murderous state mechanism but actively encouraged other people to do the same. They bear a distinctive personal responsibility. They range from low-level field commanders to the highest echelons of the Israeli army. All took an active and direct role in the offensive,” claimed the website.

A website counter at the top of the page states that over 3000 people have viewed the website so far. They claim that the information “was received anonymously; presumably from a member of the Israeli Military”.

It seems that the information was collected via the internet, doubtlessly through extensive use of social networks. A quick search reveals that many of the pictures on the site, especially those of the younger low level soldiers, were taken from facebook profiles.

“This information was pirated. We encourage people to seek out other such similar information, it is readily available in the public sphere and inside public officials’ locked cabinets,” they said. The person or group behind the website remains a mystery as does the level of exposure that the website receives.

The reliability of the information displayed is also in question, since other than in the case of the senior officers listed, it is impossible to tell whether those listed even served in the IDF during Operation Cast Lead.

“In underlining them we are purposefully directing attention to individuals rather than the static structures through which they operate. We are aligning people with actions. It is to these persons and others, like them, to which we must object and bring our plaints to bear upon”, they further stated.

The project organizers declare that “this is a form of resistance that can be effectively sustained for a long while”. Visitors to the website are told that “this project for one, has only just begun, do your bit so that this virtual list may come to bear upon the physical”. The manifest signs off by calling all web surfers to get involved and: “Disseminate widely”.

UPDATE

‘War criminals’ site exposing personal details of IDF soldiers taken down

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