A
Letter From an Israeli to The International Solidarity Movement
By Danny
Dworsky
Palestine Chronicle
April 23 2003
Hi,
My name is Danny
Dworsky. I volunteered to the IDF August 1976 and served my full tour
until my honorable discharge in July of 1979. Since 1992 I have served
as an army reservist agent for the Military Justice Department (METZACH)
since 1992. I am a first Sergeant and my military ID is DN BDRK 2297771.
If the ISM is
Guilty of anything, they are guilty of making things not as bad as they
could be. They teach non violent means for Palestinians to further their
cause and they more often than not slow the progress of the gigantic
hole we in Israeli establishment are digging for ourselves.
In bringing
Israelis and Palestinians together in a common goal of achieving peace
and justice, ISM often provides that little bit of sanity and hope that
so often deter us from acts of desperation, rage, and revenge.
Although I am
not a pacifist or worse a left winger, I have spent enough time with
these ISM people to determine that they are not only harmless to the
state of Israel, but may very well be all that we have between who we
claim to be and that of finding ourselves becoming something far beyond
our own worst nightmares of persecution and extinction as a people.
That being quite simply put, "The bad guys".
Last October
I investigated armed para military settler gangs that had been "allegedly"
assaulting, looting and terrorizing Palestinian farmers during the olive
harvest in the village of Yousouf. These attacks were carried out often
in broad daylight in full veiw of Israeli Police and IDF armored and
infantry patrols.
Palestinian
families picking olives were cursed and shot at. Their tools and donkeys
were confiscated by settlers pointing and poking unlockede and loaded
automatic weapons. "White people" and War tourists were beaten.
Those with cameras had them ripped out of their hands or struck away
from thier faces with rifle butts or 1.0 m x 1/2" steel construstion
bars.
I reported all
of these offences to my superiors in Haifa. Much of these scenes have
been captured on film and Digital video.
Because of the
weird confidence of the settlers and the absolute bizarre behavior of
law enforcement people on the scene. I also kept copies of these materials
for myself. These in turn were copied and handed off to an ABC News
correspondent at the town of Yannoun a few days later.
I managed to
capture the faces of local police and soldiers as well as the numbers
on the vehicles that brought them to the scene. All police deny having
seen, heard or even having found the place. This is a lie.
At the first
sign of trouble I had called in the Ariel police department and they
were on the scene in less that 20 minutes. The soldiers were less than
three feet away from the police. The two police men, who claimed over
the phone that they couldn't find the place, were leaning against their
patrol car between me and the Settlers when I was told that if I pursued
the matter further and didn't mind my own buisness, I could expect to
have a bullet fired "accidently" into the back of my head.
ISMers, keep
Sharon and Mofaz's IDF and lunatic Settlers from carrying out ethnic
cleansing. These ISM kids are my hero's. They save lives. They are practicing
the purest form of what the great Rabbi's called "Tikun Olam"
(*Tikun* - Repair) (*Olam* - World). "It is upon all Jews to repair
the world". As a jew I owe a terrible debt to the humanity of these
volunteer peace makers who are paying my tab with their own blood.
My family is
available and our home is open to everyone of these kids. They know
that they have a hot meal and a bed waiting for them anytime they need
it. I've been to funerals and hospitals for realatives and dear freinds
student and young children lost to suicide bombers. If I thought for
a second that the ISM had anything to do with enabling terrorism by
dilution of security measures, I would not be so accomodating.
Danny Dworsky