EVEN THE ABRAHAM ACCORDS NEED A SYMBOL:

[O]ver the past few years, the Punisher logo has become a symbol of military power and deterrence among many U.S. army personnel. It has also become appropriated by American far-right and white supremacist movements, and was visible among some of the people who took part in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

The use of this emblem among Israel's security forces recently gained attention after it was worn by a soldier who attacked Palestinian and Israeli activists at a protest in the South Hebron Hills; the emblem was also spotted on a helmet inside a military vehicle at the same incident. During the violent weeks of May, the symbol was also seen on the vest of an Israeli police officer dressed in civilian clothing in Jaffa.

In August, security guards and residents of Kibbutz Nir David in northern Israel were photographed wearing the Punisher logo alongside the kibbutz's emblem, as they confronted activists who are fighting for public access to a river under the kibbutz's control. In another incident that month, an Israeli soldier was seen wearing the logo while the army demolished agricultural terraces and uprooted trees and a vineyard in the Palestinian village of Khalat al-Furn near Hebron.

"The Punisher symbol is part of the frightening image that we [Israelis] are trying to create, of how we want to be seen in the eyes of the person standing before us" says Uri Givati, an Israeli activist with the anti-occupation group Breaking the Silence, who has researched the symbol's prevalence in Israel. "When we wear the skull on our uniforms, we are sending a clear message: we are not here to protect -- we are here to attack, to frighten."

Although the Israeli army does not officially permit the displaying of the Punisher symbol on its uniforms (it has a specific list of authorized symbols that can be worn), the logo has become a common sight in its combat units.

In its Israeli incarnation, the skull often appears next to or intertwined with the Israeli flag, a combination that can be bought in a variety of online stores in Israel and abroad. Deutsch Tactic, an Israeli store in Haifa that specializes in tactical gear, even offers a free patch to anyone who purchases a shirt from them. According to the store, only a few IDF units actually prohibit the Punisher patch from being worn, and its use is widely accepted in practice.

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