Why I need to tell my truth about serving in Israeli army

We must counter the hypocrisy of Breaking the Silence and show that IDF has thousands of soldiers who try to live up to high ethical standards.

By Matan Katzman, Opinion for Haaretz

I admit, I was nervous.

My heart was racing because this was the first time I had addressed a foreign parliament, but I knew the courage of my convictions in the justice of the cause would see me through. As they called my name to speak at the EU Subcommittee on Human Rights in Brussels last week, I knew that I was representing not only myself but the men and women of the Israel Defense Forces.

To my right was a representative of the NGO Breaking the Silence. For years, their representatives have regularly traveled the world to speak in parliaments, on campuses and in communities. Their message is a litany of horror stories about the actions of IDF soldiers, which are often void of context and unverified. Their global travel undermines the credibility of their claim to be an organization that seeks to influence Israeli civil society from within.

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