The IDF’s investigations don’t make me less proud to be Israeli
The IDF just released the conclusions of the investigations of five high-profile, tragic, deadly events that it caused in Gaza during the war.
Here are my main takeaways:
Three of the events were explained in extreme detail to have been honest mistakes. Accidents. Misunderstandings that had horrible consequences. Every military in the world makes honest mistakes, and the IDF is no different.
What’s important is that we learned from them, took steps to ensure the same won’t happen again, and the relevant officers were punished and/or removed from their positions. The IDF did all of those things.
Two of the events are being passed on to criminal investigations. Findings indicate that the soldiers’ actions went beyond the parameters of honest mistakes. That’s awful to hear. But every military in the world has soldiers who act out of line, and the IDF is no different.
What’s important is that these wrongdoings are not being swept under the rug, as it would be so easy to do. The IDF is taking full responsibility – publicly. That shouldn’t be taken for granted.
It would be easy to assume that on a day where five of the IDF’s most awful mistakes are back in the spotlight, the pro-Israel community would be quiet. Embarrassed. Less proud to be Israeli.
On the contrary, I’m just as proud to be Israeli – and an IDF reservist – as I am every other day. The IDF is owning mistakes that had already been forgotten about, being fully transparent with the entire world about what happened, and is punishing the soldiers responsible. That’s a hell of a lot more than other militaries do.
Nothing will ever make up for the innocent lives lost in Gaza in these incidents. If you’re waiting for an apology, I’ll be the first to say it: I’m truly so sorry they happened.
But please take the good with the bad. The IDF is doing everything it can to make sure things like this don’t happen again. We are transparent. We take accountability seriously.
So, despite how uncomfortable today may be for some, I am just as proud to be Israeli as I am any other day.
