“Oops…one less Arab”: Even more disturbing Instagram images from the Israeli army

Ali Abunimah 23 February 2013

Two Palestinians seen in the crosshairs of a gun sight. Posted by Israeli army Kfir Brigade member Eliya Hatan on 4 November 2012 (Source).

Since The Electronic Intifada revealed the shocking Instagram photos posted by Israeli soldiers Mor Ostrovski and Osher Maman, even more disturbing images have come to light. Some of the ones below were found by Israeli blogger “Zeatu” and others by The Electronic Intifada.

Images from “ybaruch”

Instagram user “ybaruch” describes himself as “Retired Operations Sergeant at the Israeli army, now just a student” and gives his age as 21. He says that all the 144 images images posted to his account are his. Many of the images in his account indicate that “ybaruch” took part in frequent night raids and armed attacks on Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank.

A Palestinian man blindfolded and bound can be seen during a night raid in a photo posted by “ybaruch” on 10 July 2012. Location unknown (Source).

Although it is impossible to know the location of the incident in the photo above, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights records that during the week of 5-11 July 2012, Israeli occupation forces carried out “at least 63 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. During these incursions, [Israeli occupation forces] arrested 26 Palestinians, including 7 children.” The blindfolded and bound man in the image may have been one of those captured.

An Israeli soldier plays a “card game” with confiscated Palestinian identity cards in the occupied West Bank. Posted by “ybaruch” 18 October 2012 (Source).

This image is particularly disturbing. Palestinians face long delays at the hundreds of Israeli military checkpoints throughout the occupied West Bank, often held, humiliated or turned back by teenage Israeli soldiers. Playing a “card game” with Palestinian ID’s shows the power Israeli soldiers exercise over Palestinians and the contempt in which the soldiers hold those over whom they rule.

Instagram image posted by “ybaruch” on 15 June 2012 is tagged with the location Tulkarm in the occupied West Bank. The caption says “This is how we break into a house.” (Source)

This image shows occupation soldiers prying open the door of a house in the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarm. Israeli occupation forces carry out hundreds of night raids every year, seizing Palestinians from their beds.

The caption reads “Oops … one less Arab. Let’s see if he’ll try to escape from us again.” Posted by “ybaruch” on 17 May 2012. Location unknown. (Source)

The t-shirt says “My first bullet, his last breath.” Posted by “ybaruch” (Source).

Self-portrait? Posted by “ybaruch” (Source).

Images from Eliya Hatan

Israeli soldier and Instagram user Eliya Hatan gives his age as 19, and according to his Facebook page he is a member of the Kfir Brigade. The image at the top of this post comes from Eliya Hatan’s account. It shows two Palestinian men, perhaps laborers, seen through a gunsight and recalls the notorious photo of the child in the sniper’s gunsight posted by Mor Ostrovski.

A Star of David formed out of bullets. Posted by Israeli soldier Eliya Hatan (Source).

Israeli occupation soldier Eliya Hatan (Source).

Images from “dk_1988_”

Instagram user “dk_1988_” gives his age as 24. Several of the 105 images posted to his account indicate that he is a member of the Israeli “Border Guard” a paramilitary unit responsible for regular violence against Palestinian civilians under occupation.

Palestinian men with their hands up. Posted 12 October 2012 by Israeli border guard “dk_1988_” (Source). 

Member of the Israeli “border guard” and apparent owner of Instagram account “dk_1988_” (Source).

Images from Ofir Binder

A finger makes an obscene gesture toward a Palestinian flag with the words “Hamas Patrol” written on it in Hebrew and a Fatah flag. Posted by Ofir Binder on 4 August 2012 (Source).

A man holds a flame to the corner of a Fatah flag in an image posted by Ofir Binder on 2 August 2012 (Source).

An image posted by Ofir Binder on 29 September 2012 shows a sleeping Israeli army comrade through a gunsight. The tags reveal fantasies of violence (Source).

Israeli occupation soldier and Instagram user Ofir Binder.

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Comments

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garanki replied on

These should be sent to the New York Times and Washington Post. Let's see if such behavior warrants a look at all the military aid we send this most "moral" army every year.

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Alec replied on

My message to the cowardly thugs of the IDF is 'carry on posting your obscenities', the tide is turning, the Zionist philosophy and the murderous acts of the fascist Netanyahu's government are coming under world wide scrutiny and revulsion and soon your day in the ICC dock will come and your own photographs will convict you.

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Peter Loeb replied on

On February 14 1945 Albert Camus wrote that
"...the structure of the UN Security Council would effectively put an end to any
idea of international democracy... [the veto] powers would thus retain...the
freedom of maneuver...denied others..."
In 2010 Nicolas J. S. Davies wrote
"...the Security Council has failed to uphold protections guaranteed to all people
of Iraq with the same excruciating choices available to victims of aggression
throughout history : collaboration, resistance, flight, and exile..."
These voices of resistance are our voices.
These crimes continue with the US support of Israel in today's Palestine.

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lidia replied on

Why have not they "explained" that those occupation thugs are just poor little babies, completely innocent and well-meaning, not doing anything wrong at all?

or another kind of hasbarists, claiming that that those are just some "bad apples" in the "most moral" colonization force?

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Alec replied on

It is different because whenever I challenge my local UK Conservative MP for her continued membership of 'conservative friends of Israel' her reply is that Israel is a 'beacon of democracy' amidst a sea of dictators. To say 'if they do it so can we' undermines the whole of the 'beacon of democracy' philosophy.

Many International Jews are appalled at what is happening in Israel with the South Afican Jews particuarly vocal. South African Jews support BDS" http://goo.gl/L22jC

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vitalinks replied on

Vile South African style apartheid has all along been separating people. Palestinians Arabs evicted from their homes by the Colonial British springboard implanted to keep the Arabs at each other throats while Israel guards the oil shipments necessary to maintain the hierarchy of technical might of the West.
Palestinians are systematically forced through punishing checkpoints humiliating them (above pictures) yet friends of Israel call it a democracy.
The reality of Israel is that it is an apartheid nation much like apartheid South Africa. The institutional racism depicts in the national flag, the national anthem, the ID Cards, the Law of Return (1950), the Law of Absentee Property (1950), the Law of the State Property (1951), the Law of Citizenship (1952), the Status Law (1952) and The Israeli Lands Administration Law (1960), the Construction and Building Law (1965), the Nationality Law (2006) that bans marriage between Israelis and Palestinians of the occupied territories. Moreover, Israel’s Supreme Court legitimizes the assassination of Palestinian activists, the demolition of Palestinian homes and the use of Palestinians as human shields.

US/Israel/UK the modern day outlaws portray an image of law-abiding states firmly committed to international law and diplomacy to achieve political ends. USA/Britain - two of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council holding UN veto powers. All three are signatories of numerous international human rights treaties as well as the Geneva Convention.

Israel - the rogue state shakes hands while Mahmud al-Mabhouh, a Hamas political opponent assassinated in Dubai. Its militarist diplomacy highlighted in FT "Israel's perceived lawlessness hurts its cause, 26 February 2010. Ali Hassan Salameh a top aide to Yasser Arafat killed in Beirut, 1979, Khalil al Wazir PLO leader assassinated in Tunisia in 1988; Abbas Musawi, Hizbollah cleric attacked by Israeli gun ships in south Lebanon with his wife, son and four others...

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Alec replied on

Well said. Among those murdered by Israel do not forget:

"Ahmed Jaabari, murdered by Israel, had also been the top negotiator with Israel for, among other things, the prisoner exchange in which the Israeli soldier Ghalit was released, and in return for the release of over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. In that context, he had been negotiating through various intermediaries, both within Egypt and within the Israeli peace movement, for a longer-term ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.

As has happened before, when Israeli negotiations were underway with the Palestinians, they have responded to the possibility of serious negotiations by assassinating those who were involved in the negotiations. This happened in 1996 when another Hamas leader was assassinated in Gaza while he was reading the text of a final proposed peace agreement."

http://therealnews.com/t2/inde...

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Andrew replied on

IOF soldier Jordan Dahan, apparently stationed near Nablus, wrote this:

"Today we ran through clouds of tear gas, got pelted by rocks the size of my fist, and shot rubber bullets at the bastard that did this to my hand. overall I'd say it was a successful day hahaha"

https://www.facebook.com/photo...

Ali Abunimah

Co-founder of The Electronic Intifada and author of The Battle for Justice in Palestine, now out from Haymarket Books.

Also wrote One Country: A Bold-Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse. Opinions are mine alone.