"It was the culture of the base. Everyone beat [the Palestinian prisoners].” Even the officers allegedly knew it went on but they didn't try to stop it. A text message was found on one of the soldier's mobile phones. It read: "Burn Arabs in the name of God."
Abuse Of Palestinian Prisoners Widespread On "Haredi" IDF Base
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Israel's Channel 2 News reports that abuse of Palestinian prisoners on the Nahal Haredi army base was widespread, and the culture at the base encouraged beating and torturing these prisoners, even when they were handcuffed, for no reason.
Several soldiers for the haredi battalion have been indicted and jailed as the investigation into the abuse continues.
According to those soldiers, who initially confessed to the beatings and electric shocks given to docile and sometimes handcuffed Palestinians who were already in custody at the base but have since recanted, everyone beat the prisoners.
"It was the culture of the base. Everyone beat [the Palestinian prisoners],” one said, noting that the officers knew it went on but didn't try to stop it.
A text message was found on one of the soldier's mobile phones. It read: "Burn Arabs in the name of God."
Most so-called haredi soldiers are actually ex-haredim, haredi street toughs known as Shabbabniks who were expelled from haredi yeshivas due to learning disabilities or poor compliance with haredi social norms, and hard right-wing Zionist Orthodox West Bank settler youth. Actual haredi yeshiva students almost never serve in the IDF. Although it was not publicly represented this way, the initial idea of the Nahal Haredi battalion pitched to haredi rabbinic leaders was to take marginal haredim off the streets and give their lives structure; it was never meant to be an option for "normal" haredim.
Haredi IDF bases and outposts are closed to female soldiers. Because of the ban on female soldiers and related issues, haredi bases are largely isolated from the rest of the IDF, and almost all the education given the soldiers past basic training are religious subjects taught by rabbis.
Related Posts:
4 Haredi Soldiers Indicted For Beating, Torturing Palestinian Prisoners.
Vast Majority Of "Haredi" Soldiers Are Not Really Haredim, Internal Report Says.