Breaking the Silence
By Symi Rom-Rymer
Three thin little black books have been creating a firestorm of controversy in Israel recently. No, they have nothing to do sex scandals. Rather, they are publications from Breaking the Silence (BTS), an Israeli human rights group founded by four former Israeli Defense Force (IDF) soldiers. Their objective is to collect and publish testimony from soldiers who served in the Palestinian Territories between 2001 and 2004. So far, they have recorded the experiences of 700 soldiers, documenting many harsh, even brutal actions taken by the IDF in the Palestinian Territories.
On the eve of her first US tour, I had the opportunity to sit down with Dana Golan, the 27 year-old Executive Director of Breaking the Silence. Below is an excerpt from our discussion.
Symi Rom-Rymer: How did Breaking the Silence get started?
Dana Golan: There...