Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon. Photo: Wikipedia.

Israel’s defense minister said on Monday that however the left-wing military whistleblower organization Breaking the Silence (BtS) is making use of the information its members have been gathering, it is committing “treason,” the Hebrew news site nrg reported on Monday, as Moshe Ya’alon toured the north of the country and met with students from high schools in the area.

Ya’alon was responding to questions put to him by students about the investigative report that appeared Saturday evening on Israel’s Channel 2, according to which members of BtS have been collecting data on military equipment and other issues, that have nothing to do with soldiers’ behavior.

“What was revealed [in that report was that BtS has also been] asking soldiers questions unrelated to routine operations and morality,” he said, referring to hidden camera footage aired during the broadcast, recorded by the right-wing group, Ad Kan, which has been monitoring left-wing organizations by infiltrating their ranks, under cover, and exposing their activities and funding.

Ya’alon told the students that BtS – an NGO made up of IDF veteran soldiers and officers, infamous for traveling the world and claiming that the Israeli military routinely commits war crimes – is up to no good, either way. BtS claims its mission has been to bring to light immoral/illegal behavior engaged in by comrades towards Palestinians.

“If they are distributing this material abroad, it is treason and it is serious. If they are keeping it to themselves, what do they need it for?” he said.