"My friend, it was bad..." - an Israeli soldier talks

Living in the occupied West Bank, Ecumenical Accompaniers have daily encounters with Palestinians traumatized by the Israeli occupation. Conversations with soldiers are less common, but they reveal how the occupation damages both societies, Israeli and Palestinian. Mandla, an EA in Jayyous, recalls a chance meeting with a young soldier in the Israeli army.

On a cool morning in early September, I stood with a colleague at the Falamya agricultural gate in the north of the West Bank. I had been there since 4.30am, watching as Palestinian farmers queued to reach their land on the far side of the gate. Many Palestinians need permits to access their own land, which has been swallowed up by Israel’s separation barrier. We were present to ensure that the “lucky” few who had the right papers were able to reach what had been taken from them by the miles of razor wire and concrete walls.

As the early morning queue faded away and we prepared to leave, a soldier manning the gate came up to me. He asked where I was from and what I was doing; then he did something surprising. He sat down on a small cement block that marked the approach to the gate, and invited me to do the same. Reluctantly, I sat next to him, and we began to talk.

His name was Michael, and soon he would be 20. He lived at a nearby army base. Soon, he would have some time off to visit his family. He had not seen his best friend for three months.

Michael asked me about my country, South Africa. He had heard of the seaside town of Richards Bay, and said he would like to live there for a while. But the subject inevitably turned back to the army. I told him that in South Africa, military service was optional. He said he wished it was so in Israel.

“I know of some people who quit before the end of their [army] term,” he said.

“I know of people who, after their army term, they are half crazy.   It is not good, my friend. I was once stationed in Gaza...” 

He was silent for a long time.

“My friend, it was bad….  I tell you now it is very bad.  I have seen people dying, people being brutally killed, and I have lost a lot of friends and family.  I am saying ‘family’ because, when you are in the army, the troops that you serve with are your family.”

Michael turned to another topic.  “As a sergeant, I have nine new young people that have just completed their training, and they are so excited…  I feel pity for them, because they do not know anything about the army. ”

I was not sure what to say, but the young officer filled the silence. He started talking about his dreams.

“When I was a little boy I was a good swimmer, but that has all being destroyed by the army,” he said.

“After my army service, I want to go to Australia to train and learn more about swimming and surfing, and to start my own club. I will make sure that I discourage all the kids there from joining the army – I want to be as far away from it as possible,” he said.

“I do not want anything that has to do with the army – nothing; as they say in Arabic, khallas (enough).”

As we sat there in the morning sun, I realised we had been deep in conversation for over half an hour. I got up to leave, and carry on with my day.

Michael said, “You know, my friend, I so wish to wake up one day and have somebody tell me that the conflict, or the war, or the whole situation between Israel and Palestine is over.  That is my dream.”