The disguised gangster units of the Israeli army (Ia)

Foreword: There can be no doubt that the two units, Duvdevan ["Cherry"] and Samson called in common "Mista’arvim" (soldiers disguised as Arabs) are simply licensed killers. Nevertheless, much of their membership is drawn from what is considered as the Jewish left, especially from the kibbutzim where these units enjoy the greatest possible popularity, as the items I and Ia show. Item II, although wntten by a correspondent known for his flattery, contains a lot of useful information. The dispute about those death-squads was caused not by their murders of Palestinians, but by thelr failures, as shown by the cases of near suicide or of the killing of their own members. This dispute continues and will be further reported.
All emphases mine. Israel Shahak.

Al Hamishmar, kibbutz supplement, 4 August 1992
By Avi Benayahu

The young kibbutznik draftees swamp the Mista’aravim units. Excerpts

To be accepted into into "the special units", Duvdevan and Sampson, who operate disguised as Arabs is considered this summer as the highest possible status symbol among the kibbutz youth who are being drafted to the army. They are being swept by the secrecy, the creative imagination involved by the unit’s actions and by the mascullne image its members have in the kibbutzim and are willing to make every effort to join them in spite of the criticism of those units, also in Israel but mainly outside it … By a special order of the commanders of the Central and Southern Commands, generals Yatom and Vilnay, the commanders of these special umts had to meet all groups of the kibbutz draftees, in order to persuade them to volunteer to these units. The commanders, being well-built and much decorated males with a revolver prominently displayed on their hips, and being equipped with video tapes showing the killing of the wanted as it really happened, made a very positive impression on the kibbutz youth.

I was told lately by the commander of one of the units, that the young kibbutzniks simply swamp all the special units, and that very many of them are already serving in Duvdevan and Sampson with great success. Four young kibbutzniks are competing, on the average, for each free place. It can be stated now that the Chief of Staff’s decision to reveal the existence of the units was intended, inter alia, to remove the hesitations previously voiced by parents and teachers in some kibbutzim, especially in those of Mapam, about their boys volunteering to such units. They used to ask them to volunteer to pilot course, or to the paratroopers. But after the Chief of Staff’s decision kibbutzniks will [not] dare any more to oppose any boy’s decision to volunteer to this most interesting and creative task …

Aldeilis (EN)

Truth - Justice - Peace

The disguised gangster units of the Israeli army (Ia)