Israel urges action against whistle-blowing event

Israel has urged the Swiss government not to back an exhibition which highlights human rights abuses by Israeli soldiers against Palestinians, the Times of Israel reported.

“I have instructed our embassy [in Bern] to immediately look for actions that can be taken against this exhibition. The Foreign Ministry will continue to act against groups that act against Israel from within the country and abroad,” Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said.

She added: “We will not ignore an organisation whose sole purpose is to shame Israeli soldiers, as it operates in the international arena to inflict severe damage on Israel’s image.”

The exhibition is set to be held this month at the Culture Helferei events centre, and will feature testimonies from former Israeli soldiers who said there was a policy of “unnecessary killings of Palestinians”.

Breaking the Silence, which has organised the event, is dealing mainly with military operations against Palestinians, and violations of human rights by the Israeli soldiers during the course of their service.

Media reports claim Breaking the Silence originally sought out a local synagogue for its exhibition, but was rejected.

According to the event invitation: “The mission of Breaking the Silence is to raise awareness of the daily reality in the Occupied Territories, and to create public discourse on the moral price for military control of a civilian population and an occupation that has lasted many long years.”