Last week’s Guardian published a story on a new study by former IDF soldier-turned psychologist Nufar Yishai-Karin. The report has shaken the political scene in Israel, a country whose government has always maintained that their military was the most “ethical in the world.” While activists and Palestinians have always known that in fact the opposite is true, this report offers first hand accounts from several soldiers who have admitted to enjoying atrocious acts of violence against unarmed civilians. Interviews in the report recount disturbing tales of beating on four year-olds when IDF soldiers could not find anybody else on empty streets, and the particularly disgusting account of the beating of an unarmed Palestinian woman. From the Guardian article:

The soldiers developed a mentality in which they would use physical violence to deter Palestinians from abusing them. One described beating women. ‘With women I have no problem. With women, one threw a clog at me and I kicked her here [pointing to the crotch], I broke everything there. She can’t have children. Next time she won’t throw clogs at me. When one of them [a woman] spat at me, I gave her the rifle butt in the face. She doesn’t have what to spit with any more.’

To read the full article, go here. This study has not received much attention in the Western mainstream press. Unsurprisingly, the activities and political philosophy of Israeli Refuseniks have not seen much coverage as well. To read about one such group, go here.