Yossi Gurvitz takes up in his blog where I left off yesterday regarding the IDF soldier Avi Yakobov, who sexually abused Ihsan Dababseh by performing a belly-dance and rubbing against her bound and blind-folded body in December, 2007 at the Gush Etzion military base, where she was being questioned about her alleged involvement in Islamic Jihad.
I sent several Israeli bloggers Yakobov’s home phone number, which he’d listed on his Facebook page, and Yossi had the guts to call him and wake him up this morning (probably sleeping off all that German drinking). Unfortunately, Yakobov wasn’t in much of a mood to talk.
Yossi did learn from former soldiers who’d served with him, that during the filming of the abuse, Yakobov’s commanding officer came upon the scene and reprimanded the soldier. The IDF claims erroneously that Yakobov was sentenced to 21 days in the brig for the abuse. He actually was confined to base for a few days, a much milder punishment; and the unit was given what Gurvitz calls “hasbara” discussions, which I take to mean someone drilling into them the utter stupidity of what they’d done.
A soldier in the unit said it appeared that the commanding officer didn’t bring his subordinate up on charges because he didn’t want to tarnish the reputation of his command.
Apparently, the abuser did serve a military prison sentence once, but that was for being drunk while on duty and not for the video incident. Apparently, Yakobov appears to have somewhat of a drinking problem.
It appears that the Israeli media cannot publish Yakobov’s name, though his friends can brag on the latter’s Facebook page about his television appearance on Channel 10 news. So, as Yossi says, as a soldier you can commit a war crime, your friends can rib you about it jokingly of course, but no other Israeli will know about it. That is, unless an intrepid Twitter reader like Dena Shunra discovers a journalist’s Tweet, which reveals the real deal; and then relays the information to an American Jewish blogger outside Israel who lives to publish such stories.
Gurvitz also mentions that the same silence descends on the story of Israeli troops, who forced a 9-year-old Palestinian boy during Operation Cast Lead, to serve as a human bomb detector. They are found guilty of violating IDF guidelines, yet no one will ever hear their names uttered publicly. If you want to understand the anaesthesia that allows the Occupation to continue for 42 years, you have but to understand this phenomenon.
Since the army has a decades-long history of winking at such abuses, Yossi announces his own “price tag” policy by which he urges his fellow Israelis to seek out and identify wrong-doers making them pay a price for their misdeeds. He entreats a reader to put him in touch with the victim so he can encourage her to file charges against her abuser (Dababseh has announced an intent to pursue this matter through a Palestinian human rights NGO. In the end, Gurvitz writes, the only concept that will truly change the military’s behavior is a court case in the Hague and a senior officer behind bars.
Dena Shunra revealed some striking observations about this case that I thought important to relay here. I alluded above to Yakobov’s drinking fetish and in yesterday’s post I noted a ritual of IDF veterans going wild after completion of their service doing drugs, engaging in outrageous behavior, all over the world, but especially in the Far East, notably India. Many of them, whether consciously or unconsciously are working out their ambivalence about the suffering they inflicted and/or witnessed during their own military service.
The photo featured here is from a party celebrating the end of service for those in Yakobov’s unit. Ironically, this occured on Purim, the only Jewish holiday on which you are not only permitted, but required to get drunk ad she lo yada–“until you don’t know the difference between Haman and Mordecai.” Dena asks why would a Jew need to drink himself into a stupor till he couldn’t tell the difference between the villain and the hero of the Purim shpiel? Because on Purim, Persian Jews engaged in utter slaughter of their enemies and literally exterminated them. Given the suffering they inflicted, wouldn’t you want to get drunk to forget? One wonders whether drink serves as a form of anaesthesia for Israel’s Yakobovs. The drink allows you to forget the difference between good and evil and whatever you’ve done about which you might feel ambivalent.
I remarked yesterday on how ordinary Yakobov appears in his Facebook photos. A nice guy smiling with the ‘bros with which he served. How can such a seemingly decent (from the pictures anyway) individual stoop so low? Dena calls it the banality of evil “Occupation-style.” How else can this apparatus continue unabated for 42 years? It requires otherwise decent men and women to lose their humanity and individuality in a mindless conformism that sanctions the abuse of Palestinians in order to perpetrate mechanisms of Israeli control.
I harbor no illusions that we can break this cycle. But with exposes like this one, perhaps we can chip away at the foundation and begin the process of disintegration that may lead to the creation of something new and better.
This brings to mind the einsatzgruppen, the death squads, which were fulled with alcohol and amphetamines, which served to the same effect – to enable them to ‘deal’ (actually, _not to deal_ ) with the horrors they were committing.
Personally, I don’t really want to know anything about this guy. Sure, if the IDF will not punish him, at least he will have to face up to his deeds, but his incredible immorality and disregard for fellow humans makes me not care about his alcohol problems or any other facet of his life.
Not to pardon Yakobov, but he is the result of the culture of the IDF, one that apparently does not respect human rights or dignity at all. It is difficult to say what will change the behavior of the IDF soldiers, but it needs to start at the foundation. Maybe the ICC can be part of this reformation, if a case could ever get that far.
As for Yakobov, I could care less if he was shamed. Incidents like this are not going to stop simply out of fear of being called out online. Perhaps the hubristic posting of events on Facebook will slow, but real change cannot be at the individual level.
Very few in the IDF actually take part in the violent parts of the occupation. Most niether see nor inflict any suffering. While it’s reasonible to assume that many of those that do go to india are combatants, I would bet that most of them aren’t. So i don’t buy this drown misery in drugs theory.
More importantly, most israelis have no problem with afflicting harm to arabs. They don’t need IDF moral blunting to do it. They do not have remorse or guilt to work out.
Interestingly, a few of those who do become combatants and see the occupation with their own eyes have a change of heart. Those people arn’t your typical get high in india young israelis. Those who aren’t combatants stick to their guilt free racism, having no one to call their bluff on what they are willing to do to arabs.
This man speaks the truth. Well said. I’m having a bit of a hard time agreeing with “most israelis have no problem with afflicting harm to arabs”, but even if not most, certainly a large percentage of them do not.
I’m having a very hard time finding israelis who don’t atleast see arabs as inferior. Even if you don’t count settlers and haredim (and there is no reason not to), shameless racists are now a considerable majority, especially among younger people. Outright kill-em-all racists are not far behind.
If the world took as much interest in israel as it does with places like east timor, congo or sri-lanka, we would have a full blown genocide here. There are enough big time racists to do it, and enough small time racists to not care.
The amazing irony of it is, the reason we DON’T have a genocide here is because of people like bibi, who understand the international consequences. If the people had their say, things would be much, much worse.
Israel’s LACK of democracy is what’s saving us!
“It is difficult to say what will change the behavior of the IDF soldiers, but it needs to start at the foundation.”
You can’t occu”I’m having a bit of a hard time agreeing with “most israelis have no problem with afflicting harm to arabs””
Oh, I’m not. Not at all. I don’t think most Israelis view Arabs, or Palestinians, including their own “equal” citizens, as fully human and deserving of consideration.
Well, Richard, this is fascinating stuff,
Not only does it reveal a fuller insight into the mindset of the IDF, it also confirms, if confirmation were ever needed, what a dehumanising and corrosive effect a state of constant conflict has on most, if not all of those involved.
This story is out of the bag; the deed is done, the culprit identified and one more entry must soon be added to that copious catalogue of man’s inhumanity to his fellowman. Or, as in this case, woman.
But what happens now? Will the powers-that-be pursue the matter any further? Or is damage limitation to be their only concern? Can anything of a positive nature be derived from so heinous a crime? That does seem unlikely, doesn’t it, given that the evidence is so clear-cut and the circumstances so appalling.
The problem here has always been that inability of humankind to grapple objectively and effectively with all such injustice. Each of us is but a reflection of our society and, perhaps, of the world at large. No man is an island, alone unto himself. There, but for the grace of God, go I.
For, in the condemnation of one there is often contained the condemnation of us all. Maybe that is why we are, at times, so slow to pass judgement on such matters. They hold up a mirror to our inner selves and the image that presents itself is one we have no wish to see.
So, ‘Who’s to doom when the judge himself is dragged before the bar?’ … Melville.
It seems that, for any final justice or certainty of resolution, we must look elsewhere.
On the former IDF-soldiers in India, YOAV SHAMIR (“Defamation”, “Checkpoint”) made a very interesting film in 2008 “Flipping Out”.
Unfortunately, only the first two parts out of four are available on the net in English, but it’s still a valuable look.
For French-speaking, it’s all out there at Dailymotion/user:documentaireroots/Shalom India/Soldats Israeliens).
Part 1:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8m32z_flipping-out-1-4-english-hebrew-sub_travel
Notice at min 6:58, the dialogue between Shamir and a young Israeli:
– “You get along with the Indians ?”
– “They are like Arabs . . . Arabs with a joy of life. They’re children. Retarded children”.
And then look at the guy saying this ;-(
Part 2:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8m3e2_flipping-out-israel-s-drug-generati_travel
Fortunately, some Israelis have humour and self-introspection on the subject:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5-gHmNhC2Y
RE: “Apparently, Yakobov appears to have somewhat of a drinking problem.” – R.S.
MY COMMENT: Well, if he is of Bukharan origin that might explain it. “Everybody knows” how the Soviets were about their vodka (and the Russians, etc presumably still are). Remember Boris Yeltsin? And Avigdor Lieberman was a nightclub bouncer in Moldova, wasn’t he?
And then as “everybody knows”, the Irish are notorious for…(lol)
Important, English article in Ma’an about the victim.
http://maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=321957
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# Shams]
You’ve posted dozens of comments on 3 different files on the Belly dance vs the Hourah. Get the head out of the sun and start an organization for the protection of the Hourah !
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“,i>Belly dancing…actually ALWAYS involves showing the naked abdomen of the dancer.”
Not at all. So-called belly dancing often does not involve displaying the naked abdomen.
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Ya shams-eddine)
After your next class you should go see a shrink !
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“Why call it bellydancing ?”
That’s exactly what you should ask your shrink !! You have at least 6 months of therapy ahead.
And don’t forget to ask him “How come I get obsessed about tiny insignificant details and am incapable of having even the slightest interest in major tragedies ??”
You know the Hourah versus the occupation of Palestine.
“Why call it bellydancing ?”
Ummmmm, who is it, exactly, who calls it “bellydancing”?
Oh, and someone who thinks men don’t “bellydance” is someone who has either never been to Turkey, or an Arab country, or to an Arab party.
Oh, and by the way, someone should also point out to Mr/Ms Shams that while s/he knows next to nothing about so-called “bellydancing”, s/he knows even less about the hora. First, the hora is not a solo dance, it is a line dance. Second, it is European, not Middle Eastern in origin, it is not danced to Middle Eastern rhythms, and the moves are distinctly not Middle Eastern – it doesn’t even look like any of the traditional Middle Eastern line dances. Third, the movements of the hora look nothing at all like the moves that idiotic brute were making.
Other than that, I am sure that minor in dance has been very valuable.
It’s simply amazing to me how some readers here pass off their so-called expertise in various fields as authentic when their claims turn out to be absolute rubbish. That was a good catch about the Arab music. Of course the hora is not done to Arab music.
I do think there may be some other issues going on w this person as well: extremely obsessive-compulsive.
Yeah, well, I don’t have any kind of degree or minor in dance, but I know the hora is a very typical Eastern European line or circle dance that uses a very simple 4/4 rhythm, and involves fairly simple steps and kicks, and no body action even remotely resembling what we saw in the video. The fact that it has become Israel’s “national dance” is more than anything else a testament to the fact that israel is an Eastern European country transported to the Levant. And of course it doesn’t fit with Middle Eastern music. It’s traditional Eastern European dance.
Ya hafta wonder where Mr/Ms Shams got that degree with a minor in dance, not to mention which dance studio s/he has taken lessons at. I’d want to avoid both if you want to end up knowing anything or having any useful skills.
The hora is NOT israel’s national dance, not even close. Only haredim dance those.
Infact, middle eastern music is more popular in israel than western music. I do admit, however, that “israelized” arab music sound like something the cia uses to torture suspects.
If your’e going to insult zionism, atleast get your facts right.
Let’s get off the hora, shall we?
“Only haredim dance those.”
Oh, really? So, are you trying to tell us that these are haredim?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSakToFMQsw
And these?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewFLSBJ8NkA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIOW34DnGoQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CewHcvsF2Q&feature=related
Those sure don’t look like any haredim I have ever seen!
“middle eastern music is more popular in israel than western music.”
Middle-Eastern-ish music would be more accurate.
“If your’e going to insult zionism, atleast get your facts right.”
Are you now trying to tell us that Zionism was not a European movement by, of, and for European Jews, because if you are the historical record says otherwise.
shirin –
“Those sure don’t look like any haredim I have ever seen!”
Not hardim, but most of those people look as either religious or just odd-balls. Eastern european dances are not common in israel.
“Are you now trying to tell us that Zionism was not a European movement by, of, and for European Jews, because if you are the historical record says otherwise.”
Touché.
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A dance class in a studio in the United States and historical and cultural reality in the region of origin are, more often than not, two very, very different things.
Please let us assume an impromptu performance of the horah was the intention here.
As an essay into belly-dancing, it could only provide further insult to the Arab community, not to mention despondecy to all lovers of the dance everywhere.
“Please let us assume an impromptu performance of the horah was the intention here.”
Sure, let’s just pretend that it was only by coincidence that he was standing next to a bound, blindfolded Palestinian woman when the Avi Yakobov was overcome with the irresistible urge do dance the hora, and that it was completely by accident that he ended up rubbing his body against hers in a blatantly sexual manner. Yeah, that’s it, it was a spontaneous, impromptu performance of the hora.
Although it doesn’t look even remotely like any hora I’ve ever seen.