BRIAN FUCHS resident of Halamish, West Bank writes on April 12, 2011 on the NYT that
The French ban on the full-face veil is a first step in helping some of the most powerless women participate more fully as equal citizens.
As is well known, most non-Arab occupants of the West Bank love and respect their female Muslim neighbors, especially when they are
about to give birth and are waiting to pass through a checkpoint.
Gush Shalom (an Israeli peace group) published a moving diary which described how guilty some Israeli soldiers feel when their enforce draconian rules against pregnant women and sick children.
Many soldiers I have encountered have the shame of their actions etched on their faces. They go as far as to motion me to one side, away from superiors and admit they realise they are committing senseless acts of harassment and worse. There are many undocumented cases of women giving birth at checkpoints after having been refused access to medical facilities. Some cases have resulted in fatalities. Soldiers claim they have no choice. One whispered, “I just want to go home.” It is not the short prison sentence they seem to fear for refusing to serve in the Occupied Territories but being ostracized from family and friends. At times I felt they demanded forgiveness from me to help them absolve themselves from the crimes they commit. I found it impossible to respond as they carry out their orders with deadly accuracy.