The Hardest Word

Israel has now received its own, admittedly watered-down, version of the Abu Ghraib scandal. In the original, American service men and women posed next to naked and humiliated Iraqi soldiers. In the Israeli version, a female ex-soldier from Ashdod has posted pictures of herself on Facebook next to blindfolded Palestinian prisoners.

The pictures have caused outrage more or less everywhere, from the IDF to the international media, and the girl is met with universal condemnation. What, then, is her response now in the month of slikhot?

According to Israel Hayom, she says: “I’m sorry if I hurt anyone.”

If you hurt anyone? If?

It would seem that the ability to accept responsibility displayed by the Chief of Staff Ashkenazi the other day doesn’t extend all the way down through the organization.