Following Israel Hayom's report that several kibbutzim and moshavim have refused to host conferences featuring Breaking the Silence, the trend appears to be growing, and more communities are joining the list. The controversial advocacy group, which claims it is dedicated to exposing alleged wrongdoings by the Israel Defense Forces, has been consistently lambasted for its efforts to delegitimize the IDF and Israel on the international stage. Kibbutz Tlalim in southern Israel recently canceled one such conference, which had been slated to take place in the communal dining hall on July 12. "We will not let an organization such as this appear in the kibbutz's communal buildings," a spokesperson from Tlalim said in a statement. Last Thursday, a Breaking the Silence conference at Kibbutz Mizra was disrupted midway, after 100 kibbutz members signed a petition calling for the cancellation of the event. A day later, Breaking the Silence activist Ido Even-Paz, who spoke at the conference, lambasted kibbutz residents in a Facebook post, calling them "reactionary thugs poisoned by false information." "That was the worst lecture I ever gave," Even-Paz wrote. "The crowd didn't stop disrupting and shouting and speaking out of turn, no different than any bunch of hooligans." Amit Deri, head of the Reservists at the Front organization, wrote in response: "After they finished with the right-wing organizations, [Education Minister] Naftali Bennett and [Justice Minister] Ayelet Shaked, Breaking the Silence activists are now turning their attacks on members of the kibbutzim. "The Zionist Left, chiefly the kibbutzim and moshavim, is waking up and realizing the immense damage that Breaking the Silence is causing and is no longer giving them a platform. These aren't isolated cases anymore, but a phenomenon. The cancellation at Kibbutz Tlalim is a direct continuation of this trend." Breaking the Silence declined to comment.
