Yesterday the Israeli army concluded a two-year investigation of the killing of demonstrator Mustafa Tamimi in Nabi Saleh and concluded that it was regrettable but in accordance with occupation rules– not a crime. The soldier fired because of “heavy stone-throwing.”

The conclusion is not all that surprising if you follow the twitter feed of the Israeli army spokesperson. The country’s security establishment looks out at the world through a visor.

Here’s a tweet two days ago from a wedding. (Thanks to Scott Roth.) The bride’s not the one in the makeup.

Coming off the frontlines to your sister’s #wedding….#pricelesspic.twitter.com/NwydurK0gQ

This picture from December 1 looks more natural. And again, a soldier is wearing paint in a civilian context. Or war context. The tweet says, “You can make it just about anywhere with friends & family by your side.” I have no idea whose lands they’re walking on.

A central theme of the twitter feed is how unsafe things are over there, how necessary a military presence is. There are “terrorists” behind every bush.

This tweet says Palestinian terrorists are trying to kidnap Israeli soldiers. This one says Gaza terrorists are smuggling weapons. Hezbollah terrorists want to murder us. Hamas terrorists haven’t stopped killing for years. This one says the terror threat is rising, and warns again of kidnapings.

This one’s about terrorists in the West Bank– Judea and Samaria to biblical Israelis.

The #IDF is preparing to handle rising violence & increasing terror threats in Judea and Samaria http://t.co/BrJrj1OjUL — IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) December 3, 2013



The article in the link shows a Palestinian rioter throwing a firebomb at a West Bank demonstration. The people on the West Bank live under checkpoints with no freedom to go to the sea they can see from their rooftops, or the Al Aqsa mosque. Their lands are being taken by colonists. Is it really that surprising that they’re resisting?