More to Israeli story than viewpoint of one solider

Daniel Teegan’s account of his conversation with an ex-Israeli soldier (Letters, December 17), depicts the IDF as a rogue force operating outside the norms of international law. 

If this is left unchallenged, it will reinforce the anti-Israel zeitgeist of the moment. He recounts how this young Israeli was trained to be aggressive and provocative, particularly at checkpoints.

To offer an alternative narrative, I will recount my conversation with a young member of the IDF, although unlike Mr Teegan’s, it was not with a traumatised and disenfranchised young man, but a serving major who understood the complex demands of defending his country from a never-ending cycle of terrorist attacks.

It took place last Tuesday morning and was conducted just outside the Israeli city of Ashkelon on the border with Gaza. There, one of the youngest senior officers appointed to Gaza city recounted how he had commanded his troops in Operation Protective Edge. He recalled how these soldiers, whose average age was 19, went to extraordinary measures to ensure that Palestinian casualties were kept to a minimum.

This young man recounted how stressful it was to be not only responsible for the safety of his men but to also ensure that as few of these teenagers had to carry the knowledge that they had shot someone, even if it was in self defence. Having listened to this young officer, is it any wonder that some of the soliders might exhibit strains of post traumatic stress disorder? The young man of Mr Teegan’s account is clearly in this category.

Dr Kevin McCarthy

Kinsale

Co Cork