Any outsider who has spent the past few months listening in on Israelis' public debate over Breaking the Silence might think that it is a vast organization employing thousands of activists. That person would also have reason to believe that the group is ultimately responsible for all of Israel’s security woes.

Breaking the Silence was founded 12 years ago by Yehuda Shaul, a retired Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officer who had served in Hebron. Shaul, now in charge of the group’s overseas activities, holds one of just 12 paid positions in the entire organization. For the most part, Breaking the Silence relies on a handful of volunteers, who collect testimonies from soldiers. They are recruited ad hoc in response to specific events, such as the 2014 Operation Protective Edge.

In fact, the group’s last comprehensive report was published in May 2015. The report contained testimonies from soldiers who had participated in Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip indicating that individual soldiers, not the IDF as an institution, allegedly engaged in war crimes during the fighting. At the time of the report’s release, the group also published a sleek booklet in English intended for international distribution. For the most part, the rage vented at the group in Israel can be attributed to the release of the report overseas, compounded by the activities of its members beyond the narrow confines of Israel.

The person drawing the most fire is Avner Gvaryahu, a prominent Breaking the Silence activist whose official position is coordinator of outreach to American Jewry. Breaking the Silence believes that it is impossible to shift the public discourse in Israel from within and promote the processes necessary to end the occupation. Therefore international pressure is required. In January, a recording was made public in which Alon Liel, a former Foreign Ministry director general, is heard briefing Breaking the Silence activists and recommending that they extend their activities to Jewish communities and decision-makers overseas.