It has often struck me as odd and fascinating that there seems to be more tolerance of dissent and debate over Israel’s policies in Israel than there is in the U.S. Congress. It’s especially striking that this is the case even in wartime, or in the immediate aftermath of war.
Unit 8200 is the Israeli military’s central intelligence gathering body and is often likened to the US National Security Agency (NSA).
The protest letter signed by the [forty-three past and present reservists]…of the unit was sent to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and armed forces chiefs.
The newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth quoted the letter as saying that unlike in other countries there was “no oversight on methods of intelligence or tracking, and the use of intelligence information against the Palestinians, regardless of whether they are connected to violence or not”.
“We refuse to take part in actions against Palestinians and refuse to continue serving as a tool for deepening military rule in the Occupied Territories,” the letter added.
“Intelligence allows ongoing control over millions of people, thorough and intrusive monitoring and invasion into most aspects of life. All of this does not allow for normal living, fuels more violence and puts off any end to the conflict.”
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Here at home, it’s hard to imagine that degree of dissent coming from our intelligence community. Although I do have to give credit to those officials who threatened to resign when the NSA warrantless surveillance scandal first broke. And we certainly don’t see our elected officials agreeing with Israelis who refuse to participate in military rule in the Occupied Territories.
Here, we just don’t debate these things.
Here at home retaliation is more quick, more severe, more elevated in criminal charges, and more brutal than it used to be.
William Binney was summarily fired. Col. Morris Davis was forced to retire. John Kiriakou is serving time in prison and having his medications jerked around with by prison staff. Chelsea Manning is serving a 35 year sentence. Edward Snowden is in exile.
The so-called hospital scene over the internet dragnet was settled by waving a few sheets of paper before a rubber-stamp FISA court.
It is interesting that the shell is cracking in the Israeli military and intelligence community. There were rumors that in the previous attack on Gaza before this one, the IDF flatly refused to send ground troops into Gaza, effectively saying No to Netanyahu. It is rumored that they also said no to a pre-emptive missile strike on suspected Iranian nuclear facilities.
I have no idea what the intelligence community thinks on this issue. Then again, we know that Israel has been caught with their hands in the cookie jar(see: Jonathan Pollard). Our politicians are all bought off. Just look at even Warren or Sanders.
○ IDF Unit 8200 Cyberwar Veterans Developed NSA Snooping Technology
○ False flag incident Ghouta gas attack based on Unit 8200 “intelligence”
○ Stuxnet US-Israel Cooperation Cyber Warfare on Iran
Instead of a career in high-tech, these 43 reservists will be shunned and severely punished for refusing IDF service.
“I can’t exaggerate how brave these officers have been. As those who read this blog regularly know, service in Unit 8200 is a steppingstone into Israeli high tech. It offers a wide array of professional opportunities that are not available to those who don’t serve there. Veterans network amongst each other and it’s like a Good Old Boys’ club, only more so. The signers will be blackballed. They will lose privileges, friendships, promotions. This is a big step for them.”