A fascinating post by The Magnes Zionist, written here in Jerusalem, that discusses the ways in which IDF abuse in Gaza and the occupied territories is tolerated by the mainstream of Israeli society:
I don’t think that the IDF, under the present circumstances, can be seriously reformed. The problem is not with the IDF; it is with Israeli society that tolerates the IDF’s “secrets and lies”. The IDF will always find a way to make its war crimes kosher. They even have Asa Kasher as their in-house ethicist. Only when they are caught on tape do they change their story. On the other hand, I don’t view the IDF folks as inherently evil. I think that they just don’t get what it means for an army to act morally. As I said earlier today, if they simply dropped the “most moral army” claim, if they recognized the failings, that would be a first step. But they are in deep denial.