Former occupation army soldier: Gaza is a stain on history... and freedom for Palestine

Yotam Peled, a former soldier in the Israeli occupation army, declares his alignment with the Palestinian cause and rejection of Israeli policies, asserting that standing with truth and justice is not treason. This came in a statement he published on social media platforms, where he described what is happening in Gaza as a stain on history.

Yotam Peled, a former soldier in the Israeli occupation army, announced his alignment with the Palestinian cause and rejection of Israeli policies, emphasizing that standing with truth and justice does not constitute treason, despite the criticism he faced from his former peers. Peled, a resident of Berlin, said in a statement published on social media last Wednesday that watching the documentary "NAZA" by directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Tsur prompted him to express his position more clearly. He criticized the contradiction he experienced during his upbringing in Israeli society, where slogans of peace were raised alongside preparing youth for military service. He explained that a shift in his awareness began when he was seventeen years old, after meeting Arab students who identified themselves as Palestinians. He also criticized the use of fear and the entrenchment of the image of the Israeli as a perpetual victim to justify wars. He described the effects of what is happening in Gaza as a "scar and mark of Cain" in historical memory. He said in his message: "If standing with truth and justice makes me a traitor, so be it... freedom for Palestine."