Israel/Palestine

1. BTS may want to find a more credible founder

Rumors and gossip are meant for tabloids, not for real journalism. In order for Breaking the Silence to be considered a reliable news source, the founder should not be setting a standard of presenting rumors as “testimonials.” A few weeks ago, BTS founder Yehuda Shaul falsely claimed that settlers in the West Bank had poisoned a well in the South Hebron Hills. Channel 10 program “HaMakor” investigated this matter and discovered that there were no eyewitnesses who actually saw a well being poisoned.

The story was based on settlers who were near a well that had a dead chicken inside of it. Perhaps not the tastiest of sights, this almost comical image is no basis for accusing settlers of poisoning anyone or claiming that they messed with the water. This poisoned well rumor spurred quite a commotion and the false story was later debunked entirely in a full report. For another example of poor reporting regarding water in the West Bank, BTS can check out CAMERA’s article on the West Bank’s water supply and maybe the founder can learn how to report more accurately on such a story next time.

5. BTS needs to take note: selective coverage is not truthful coverage

In his testimony, Avner Gvaryahu explained that a soldier in his unit was allegedly upset that he missed his shot at an unarmed Palestinian. The HaMakor reporters investigated this incident and this soldier that Gvaryahu refers to, was finally given a chance to speak. The soldier revealed a critical detail: this “unarmed” Palestinian was armed and in fact had just thrown two grenades at the unit. After nearly being killed by two grenades, this soldier was in fact a bit concerned when he failed to stop the terrorist and protect his fellow soldiers. In the future, BTS should verify such critical details of a story.

7. BTS needs to clarify why they think the human right of self-defense is forbidden

In his third testimony, Gvaryahu claimed there was allegedly permissive and inappropriate use of live fire in residential areas. Fellow soldiers who served with Gvaryahu explained that they were permitted to fire at anyone who emerged from a narrow passage.

However, the soldiers added a critical detail Gvaryahu failed to mention: they were only permitted to shoot in an area if already shot upon from that same area. When soldiers are shot at, soldiers are permitted to fire back in self-defense. However, the IDF follows strict procedure when any soldier fires and if a soldier shoots out of line, severe punishments follow.

In short, according to the HaMakor investigation, BTS needs to verify their witness testimonies and brush up on their facts.