Avner Gvaryahu

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Avner Gvaryahu (born 1983/1984) is the current executive director of the Israeli-based non-profit Breaking the Silence.

Contents

Early life and education

Gvaryahu was born to a religious, Zionist family. [1] He was raised in Rehovot, alongside his two brothers and two sisters. [1] He attended a yeshiva until grade 12, after which he volunteered with the Israeli Scouts for a year. [1] [2]

After joining the Israeli Defense Forces in 2004, he served as a sergeant in the Orev unit of the paratroopers until 2007. [1] [3] While serving in the IDF in Nablus and Jenin, Gvaryahu realized the negative effects of the IDF on Palestinian communities. [4] [3] [5] [6] He later claimed that his commanders encouraged members of his battalion to kill, rather than arrest, targets. [3]

After serving in the IDF, Gvaryahu studied social work in Tel Aviv. [1] [2]

Activism

Gvaryahu was working with Breaking the Silence by 2011. [2] At the time, he worked as a tour guide for the non-profit, showing visitors the impact of the occupation in the West Bank. [2]

By 2014, Gvaryahu was the non-profit's spokesperson. [7]

In 2018, Gvaryahu, by then the group's CEO, and three other members of Breaking the Silence leadership were detained by Israeli border police in Mitzpe Yair while leading a tour in the South Hebron Hills. [8] [9]

Gvaryahu has spoken out against Israeli military campaigns in the occupied territories, such as raids on the West Bank's Jenin refugee camp. [10] He has clarified that although he believes Israel has a right to self-defense, he does not believe current military activity in the occupied territories constitutes self-defense. [11]

Personal life

In 2016, Gvaryahu became a target in a campaign by Im Tirzu, which accused him of being planted by a foreign government. [1]

Gvaryahu and his wife, who works as a journalist, live in Tel Aviv. [12]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Shohat, Yehuda (2016-01-21). "'I'm breaking the silence because I'm Zionist, Israeli and a patriot'". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Breaking the silence: Israeli soldiers with a tale to tell". New Internationalist. 2011-10-20. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  3. 1 2 3 Beaumont, Peter (2014-06-08). "Stories from an occupation: the Israelis who broke silence". The Observer. ISSN   0029-7712 . Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  4. ↑ "Israeli Soldiers Break Silence With Tales of West Bank Occupation". NBC News. 2014-06-07. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  5. ↑ "Hidden Brain | Tribes & Traitors: What Happens When You Empathize with the Enemy?". NPR. March 6, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Ex-Israel soldier: I helped entrench the occupation". Middle East Monitor. February 19, 2018.
  7. ↑ Sheizaf, Noam (2014-04-03). "Breaking the Silence founder detained in Hebron, banned from city for 14 days". +972 Magazine. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  8. ↑ Noy, Orly (2018-08-31). "IDF detains South Hebron Hills tour organizers, days after settler attack there". +972 Magazine. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  9. ↑ Kimon, Elisha Ben (2018-08-31). "Breaking the Silence CEO detained in Mitzpe Yair". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  10. ↑ "Former Israeli soldier says Israel is making everyone less safe". MSNBC.com. July 8, 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  11. ↑ Hall, Matthew (2018-05-30). "'Don't be afraid to shoot': a former Israeli soldier's account of Gaza". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  12. ↑ Gessen, Masha (2023-10-13). "The Tangled Grief of Israel's Anti-Occupation Activists". The New Yorker. ISSN   0028-792X . Retrieved 2023-10-16.
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