Former IDF soldier speaks about Israeli public opinion during the Israel-Gaza war

Our former staff member and former IDF combatant Benzi Sanders talked to Christiane Amanpour on CNN about the "catastrophic mistake" he thinks Israel is making in Gaza. He speaks about public opinion in Israeli society, and what it means to speak out against a military operation that large swaths of the country whole heartedly support.

Originally aired on The Amanpour Hour on CNN on November 7, 2023.

#Gaza #Amanpour #BreakingTheSilence

[rufus-hh]

Ask yourself, what would Israelis think if they were occupied by the Palestinians, their land was stolen from them to build settlements for Palestinians, and a couple million of them were locked up, being dependent on Palestine for water, food, electricity and fuel? How would they feel if Israelis were arrested and held indefinitely, without being charged?

[AhmadSaleh-nqwo]

I'm Arab and a Palestinian and i have no problem to live next to this man stop the war stop the occupation lets have peace

[mmahighlights]

media loves talking about oct 7th, but never address context to why oct 7th or even a hamas existence .

[hmzircon]

Wow this is directly from a former Israeli military man. Conscience and humanity is what a lot of people lack. This guy is taking a great risk by doing what’s right. Much respect!!!! STAND FOR WHAT’S RIGHT EVEN IF IT MEANS STANDING ALONE!

[gerardshort]

As a retired Irish soldier this man has my respect

[MendeMaria-ejbf]

What this former soldier says is so obvious that one has to ask why it doesn't reach those in power.

[RB-rntq]

Finally even CNN has to open up a bit to the truth, even though at the very end she still tried to put a
spin on the story to the best of her abilities.

[mohammadalloush]

The dude casually saying we murdered thousands like he is drinking water and they call Muslims terrorists.

[simsim]

I commend this young man for his bravery. May God protect him. Many feel the same as he does but are afraid to speak. I am so happy that the world is listening to this young man and I thank you Christianne for airing this video. Israel is NOT the innocent bystander it is the source of every evil that is happening. Let’s all pray for peace, too many innocent lives are being killed.

[hkhalife]

A lot of respect for this young man. Thank you Benzi for sharing your perspective and experience. We should work on encouraging young palestinians to work with young israelis and promote the coexistence of these 2 people and their right to live in peace together.

[Cristoforo]

An occupying military force has no right to defend itself against those it is occupying, just as your attacker has no right to claim self-defence while robbing and beating you in the street

[oldreprobate]

They're not terrorist. They are fighting for freedom, so therefore they are freedom fighters. He pretty much described what the Isaeri government is, has done, and will continue to do unless the rest of the world nations shut them down. What Israel is doing is no different than what the Nazis did in Germany.

[amyjurr]

I just want to say that the people who have never been cared for for 75 years, their rights, colonized, tortured, bullied, have shown how strong they are silently. Until now, since 7 Oct, they have not surrendered to defeat even though their country is destroyed. we can say their country is destroyed, but not their people. Their faith are strong. They are God's chosen people.

[richardclark]

I give this man a lot of credit. I think he’s contributing very positively to our future. It’s heartening to think that this incredibly violent episode is helping more people to see the conflict more clearly. The word terrorist should really not be used though since it can so easily be applied to the actions of the Israeli state and unfortunately too many of its citizens. It has lost its meaning in this context. Thank you for having him on.

[cryptozigizag]

This guy is a breath of fresh air. Glad to see Israelis standing up for the truth

[mike]

I saw this video a few times and I've seen many videos on this current conflict. This guy stands tall over everybody else. He gave a true and fair assessment from both sides. And the only one who speaks with common sence. True Humanitarian! I hope they replace Bibi with Benzi!

[thinkbeforeyoutype]

Nelson Mandela and ANC freedom fighters were called “terrorist” during the apartheid South African regime by the U.S, Israel, and British governments. The same playbook is being used against Palestinian people.

[JavierBonillaC]

Congratulations to this young man. We need leaders with his clarity and courage in this world. Antisemitism was wrong during WWII and is today, anti-palestinism is too,

[TheTwosliceToaster]

Hamas is effectively the physical manifestation of palestinian resistance. A so-called "terrorist group" is what naturally emerges in such conditions. You can't violently oppress a people and expect them to not respond with violence, especially when the Israeli regime and the IDF are themselves extremely violent terrorist regimes, killing thousands upon thousands in regular terrorist bomb attacks against civilians. All of this talk of eliminating Hamas is just nonsense, as they're basically talking about eliminating the palestinians right to defend itself against Israeli terrorism, which is never going to happen. They believe that only they have the right to live in peace. They're outraged when their own own get killed in relatively small numbers (ie always referring to the 7th Oct attack as the worst thing they've ever seen), and yet they're not all that bothered every time thousands of palestinians get slaughtered in huge numbers. The fact that pro-Israel people keep saying things like "Well Hamas knew that Israel would respond by murdering thousands of civilians, so it must be their fault" really does highlight the absurd levels of brainwashing that have been taking place over the years, where Israels massacring of thousands of civilians has become normalised and accepted as a perfectly reasonable response to a "terrorist" attack. How can responding to terrorism with much worse acts of terrorism and genocide be acceptable? A better means to reach an end to this conflict would be to remove the current Israeli government from power, and replace it with something that doesn't resort to blowing everything up as it's number 1 course of action. The abuses committed by the IDF terrorist organisation is much worse than Hamas. It was afterall the Israeli regime that originally helped to fund and created Hamas back in the 80s. Israel has cemented it's future over the past 70 years. I have no sympathy for the place, especially as most of it's citizens are currently living in luxury, with no fear of being driven from their homes or being blown to bits or buried under rubble.

[kipwonder]

I watched a recent clip. A Palestinian mother waited for her eldest daughter to be released from an Israeli prison...as part of the hostage swap. The daughter had been held for 8 years without being formally charged with any crime. She was arrested at 16 and is now 24. A very common story...apparently. The youngest daughter (approx 7 yrs) wept in anticipation of her sister's release. The mother looks at her and shakes her head: "We will share ONLY our joy with your sister...NOT our pain". Oof! That floored me.