A FORMER Israeli army general has said his country’s actions in the occupied West Bank territory were similar to the “apartheid” under Nazi Germany.

In an interview with an Israeli broadcaster Kan Radio on Sunday, Amiram Levin, a retired major general in the Israel Defense Forces said the IDF is beginning to be “complicit in war crimes”.

He said these actions were “reminiscent of processes that happened in Nazi Germany.”

The ex-IDF commander’s comments are significant as the Israeli government, and the diaspora abroad, severely censure anyone who likens the state’s actions in occupied territories to the crimes perpetrated against Jews during the reign of Adolf Hitler in Germany.

When asked whether Israel’s actions were similar to those in Europe in the years leading up to the Holocaust, he said, “Walk around Hebron and you will see streets that Arabs cannot walk there. It is painful and unpleasant but it is the reality.”

“We find it difficult to say it, but that’s the truth”

The ex-major general, who was also the deputy head of Mossad, also expressed fear that IDF soldiers will not be motivated to defend the country if the coalition succeeds in shackling the judiciary.

The military’s preparedness was being impacted due to threats and refusals to serve amid the government’s judicial overhaul, he said, adding the IDF was also “rotten to its core” due to Israel’s ongoing presence in the West Bank.

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2023