Israel
IDF Spokesperson's Unit rejects claims made by ex-soldier joining Breaking the Silence
By Jewish Life Staff, . Jewish Life.
A former soldier who served in the Israel Defense Forces' Spokesperson's Unit announced Monday she will become the new spokesperson for Breaking the Silence, a group that works to advance war crimes charges against Israel internationally, The Jerusalem Post reported.
What the former soldier said
Ayelet Kroizer made the announcement in a post on X, formerly Twitter, accusing her former unit of manipulating information and placing the army's public image above transparency. She claimed that during her service she had seen "how vast the control of the IDF Spokesperson has in shaping our perception of reality, and the problematic game it plays with the truth."
Kroizer also alleged that work with international audiences was framed around building legitimacy for military operations. "The goal of the work with the international audience was defined as strengthening and expanding legitimacy for military actions," she wrote, according to the report. "Here, too, the price was the truth."
The report noted that Kroizer comes from the haredi, or ultra-Orthodox, Jewish community and chose to enlist during wartime despite being eligible for a service exemption that is available to haredi Israelis.
How the IDF responded
IDF Spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin sent an urgent letter to unit commanders, asking that it be shared with all soldiers under their command. "I want to be clear," Defrin wrote, as quoted by the report. "These remarks do not reflect the people who serve in the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, the values of the unit, or our professional and ethical worldview."
Defrin described the unit as drawing from across Israeli society, with soldiers sharing what he called a "common ethical and professional compass." He told commanders not to allow Kroizer's remarks to shake their soldiers' sense of purpose.
The report did not include any response from Breaking the Silence to the IDF's letter, and it was not clear when Kroizer is expected to formally begin her new role.