Showing no signs of remorse, Eden Abergil, the former Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldier who caused a worldwide stir by posting pictures of herself posing next to blindfolded Palestinian, has defended her action by saying “in war there are no rules“.
Ms. Abergil has received thousands of messages on the social networking site Facebook, where she had posted the photos dubbed ‘IDF — the best time of my life’, some of them sympathetic and others chastising to which she has been actively responding.
A participant in the debate commented on one of the photos saying, “Because of such a simple and innocent picture they ruined this girl’s life and made of her something she is not.”
Ms. Abergil responded to the comment, making it clear to the surfer that she’s not taking the issue too seriously.
“No honey, they didn’t ruin my life. I can’t afford to have Arab—lovers ruin the perfect life I’m leading!!! I am not sorry and I do not regret it.”
Another surfer, Shai, responded to Ms. Abergil and claimed that she failed to grasp the meaning and implication of her actions.
“It’s called humanism,” he wrote, prompting Ms. Abergil to respond: “I’m not humane towards murderers.”
“In war there are no rules,” she wrote.
She later adopted an even harsher tone declaring, “I hate Arabs and wish them all the worst. I would gladly kill them all and even butcher them; one cannot forget their actions.” Referring to the possibility that the images could injure Israel’s image in the international arena, Ms. Abergil said, “We will always be attacked. Whatever we do, we will always be attacked.”
IDF described the former soldier’s behaviour “shameful” which brings to disrepute the country and the army, but amid criticisms a virtual support group has also been established calling itself ‘We are all with Eden Abergil’, and currently numbering 600 people.
The members have demanded that other soldiers post pictures similar to the ones uploaded by Ms. Abergil.
The former soldier has also approved hundreds of new Facebook friend requests that have been pouring in since the story broke causing a storm worldwide.
“These terrible photographs reflect a norm in the way Palestinians are viewed, as an object and not as humans. It is an attitude that ignores their feelings as humans and their individual rights,” the head of the Public Committee Against Torture, Ishai Menuchin, said in response to the photos.
