Dear Friends:

16 elite IDF combat soldiers, veterans of the Gaza bloodbath, walked off the job, collectively, and went home.  The “ringleaders” have been sent to jail.  In military terms, this is called “mutiny”.

The newspaper talks of the pretext for this mutiny, or its “official” cause.  But, that does not tell us anything.  We know nothing about the bitterness, the anger, or the demoralization of these soldiers.  How would we know?  What moved them to take desperate action against their commanders?  What moved them to prefer their own interests to the interests of the IDF?  What goes on in their hearts and minds?

The only way to know is to be with them.  The only way to give political expression to their bitterness, their anger, and their demoralization, is to engage with them in the fight for hearts and minds. 

Don’t expect the Israeli “peace camp” to bother with disgruntled IDF soldiers in the fight for hearts and minds.  The “peace camp” is preoccupied with a phony “peace process,” with diplomats and documents and lies, and with saving one’s soul.

Combat soldiers who are prepared to take collective action against their commanders have no need for peace processes or diplomats or documents or lies or saving one’s soul.  They need solidarity against their oppressors and exploiters.  They need a strategy for regime change.  When they adopt the goal of regime change, nothing will stop them.  They will take risks and demonstrate loyalty and devote their military skills to their new goal.   How to blaze a path to their hearts and minds?  How to organize rebellious soldiers in solidarity with the oppressed?

Self-indulgent pacifism has nothing to offer them.  Self-satisfied pacifism is impotent in the face of the regime’s solid wall of armed men.  How to profit from cracks in the wall?

The Palestine resistance would do well to study previous resistance movements and revolutionary movements, and learn how to appeal to occupation soldiers and soldiers of the oppressor regime, effectively, and how to turn the soldiers against their commanders and their government and their ruling elite.

Otherwise, we are dealing in tokenism, futile diplomacy and wanton murder.   The oppressed deserve better.

Regards,
Henry Lowi

Sources

English
www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3743444,00.html
www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3743756,00.html

Hebrew
www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3743311,00.html 
www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3743689,00.html
www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3552586,00.html
www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3554613,00.html