Though some of the most common media reports out of the West Bank involve Israeli troops clashing with Palestinians, many of them teenagers, one new video shows a very different kind of interaction — a simple act of human kindness.
Image source: YouTube
The Israeli news site Ynet reported that several Israel Defense Forces soldiers on guard duty Sunday were suddenly distracted when they saw Palestinian children dumpster-diving in search of food.
“One of the children told me he already searched through all of the dumpsters around. I told them to wait a few minutes until I got back,” said a soldier, identified as Cpl. Oren.
That’s when he and his comrades-in-arms put together bagged meals for the youths, packed with the food they had prepared for their own lunch and snacks that day, including a loaf of bread, meatballs, fruit, vegetables and hummus.
“After talking to our friends, it was clear to us we couldn’t let those kids keep looking through dumpsters for food, while we had extra food,” Oren said.
The children reportedly told the soldiers they had no food at home and were looking in the dumpsters for something to eat.
In the video, the children — whose faces are obscured — shake hands with the soldiers, talk to them, then accept the modest donation of food.
According to Ynet, Oren posted on Facebook that just prior to seeing the children, the same Israeli soldiers had been pelted with stones by Palestinian protesters.
TheBlaze is unable to independently verify the account or the video, but an Israeli military representative told Ynet that the initiative came from the soldiers.
The military said Palestinian youths are often positioned during protests so that news photographs appear to show Israeli soldiers facing off against children.
Oren said, “Next time you hear someone in Israel or abroad slamming the IDF, saying we’re not a moral army, you’re welcome to send them my way.”
A similar exchange was captured on video earlier this year showing an Israeli border police officer handing out food to Palestinian boys, who then hugged him in thanks.
Watch the video of the exchange posted on YouTube:
