Right outside the Gush Etzion settlement in the West Bank, is a tourist attraction that offers a unique experience to those fascinated with the Israeli military:
Taking in the scene of a simulated fruit market in an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, a group of tourists ponders whether a poster-size figure of an Arab man holding a cellphone is a threat and should be shot.
The aim of the mock scenario is to teach rapt foreign visitors how to deal with an attack on a market. It is part of a counter-terrorism "boot camp" organized by Caliber 3, a company set up by a colonel in the Israeli army reserves.
— www.reuters.com/...
The compound itself is located on an illegal settlement, as such it is a form of resource exploitation by an occupying power.
Companies specializing in this sort of military tourism, she notes, have experienced a boom in business over the past year. “For a long time, it was popular for Jewish tourists, and especially organized missions, to visit Israeli army bases and meet with the soldiers and watch them during their military exercises,” says Sand, the founder of Travel Composer, a boutique Israeli agency that specializes in luxury tours.
“Often, donations would be handed over in exchange. But last year the army began cracking down after it emerged that these visits were becoming a major disruption. So for those who still want to experience the Israeli army, these for-profit facilities provide a great alternative.” [...]
As his [Caliber 3’s owner] instructors like to point out, it’s not only Israeli soldiers who operate according to the army’s “purity of arms” doctrine, which stipulates that soldiers will maintain their humanity even in combat. So do their attack dogs. At a live demonstration, the visitors watch as Zeus lunges at a “terrorist” wielding a knife, forcing him to the ground while tearing into his padded coverall. But once that knife is dropped and the threat is eliminated, Zeus backs off. “Even the dogs in the IDF value human life,” the instructor says.
— www.haaretz.com/...
This claim, that the IDF “value human life” is questionable. The IDF has had radical, insurgent elements within it for decades and depending on the government in charge, hard-line factions have been ascendant within the command structure. Lately the religious-nationalist settler movement has gained power within the army. These trends accelerated after Likud first won election and Rafael Eitan was appointed Chief of Staff of the IDF (prior the 1982 Lebanon war).
As an example, a soldier who summarily executed a Palestinian man last year, has been released under house arrest. The only reason there was a prosecution in this case, is because the entire incident was caught on tape by a B’Tselem volunteer. At the same time, Israel imprisons hundreds of Palestinians as political prisoners.
Caliber 3, which is based in the West Bank and run by a former member of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), calls itself “the premier academy for counter terror and security”. It offers six programs for tourists, including desert “Survival Training”, krav magna martial arts, and “Combat Rappelling” using paintball guns.
Its “Ultimate Shooting Adventure” has raised eyebrows for its use of real guns and simulated terror attacks – with targets dressed up in Palestinian keffiyehs. [...]
He [the owner Gat] said that the thought came to him after thinking about the horrors of the Holocaust. "I said to myself that I am going to open this place to the public to show what a long way the Jewish people have come in 75 years,” he said.
— www.independent.co.uk/...
The company has a Facebook page to promote itself and has been around since 2003. Reuters reported on it in 2009:
"The most shocking part was when they had us shout 'terrorist' before getting into shooting position," he said.
He enjoyed the course and felt it was safe but morally questionable. "It could indoctrinate children with racist beliefs. It was sad to hear young kids express such racism. It makes the likelihood or reaching a peaceful settlement to the (Middle East) crisis seem more difficult." In the group before his, James said, excited children shouted to their parents about being able to "shoot the Arabs." [...]
But Gat [the instructor] says his course is not just about shooting guns; it also teaches "Zionist values."
— www.reuters.com/...
— Cross-posted at NotmeUs.org | @subirgrewal