Breaking the Silence NGO barred from national service program

Israel's national civil service authority has rejected a request by the Breaking the Silence organization -- which brings together veteran soldiers dedicated to exposing alleged mistreatment of Palestinians by the IDF -- to participate in the national service volunteer program due to its controversial political nature.

On the request form to join the program, Breaking the Silence described its goal as "to expose the Israeli public to the reality of everyday life in the occupied territories. We endeavor to stimulate public debate about the price paid for a reality in which young soldiers face a civilian population on a daily basis, and are engaged in the control of that population’s everyday life."

The committee charged with deciding whether organizations can join the volunteer program ruled against Breaking the Silence, writing: "The committee recommends that National Civic Service Authority Director Sar-Shalom Jerbi reject the request due to the fact that the organization deals distinctly with political activity and is not suited to any of the activities permitted by national civilian service regulations.

"According to the request presented to the committee, the organization is upfront about the fact that it deals with controversial political activity."

Breaking the Silence responded to the rejection with a statement, saying, "After receiving a negative response from the authority, we requested clarification that we have yet to receive. We hope that the authority does not simply see this as another opportunity for political persecution and the silencing of organizations that do not submit to the radical right wing."

In August, as first reported by Israel Hayom, the authority removed left-wing human rights organization B'Tselem from the volunteer program because of its refusal to designate Hamas a terrorist organization and the anti-Israel positions it expressed during Operation Protective Edge. The ban was considered controversial and was ultimately reversed by the Attorney-General's Office.