Israeli Soldier Eden Aberjil Facebook Photo Controversy

Eden Aberjil, a former Israeli soldier who posted photos on Facebook of herself in uniform smiling beside blindfolded Palestinian prisoners, said her actions were "thoughtless". But she added: "I still don't understand what wasn't OK."

"There's no violence or intention to humiliate anyone in the pictures," she said. "I just had my picture taken with them in the background. I did it out of excitement, to remember the experience."

Aberjil has removed the photos after facing criticism from the Israeli military and the international community.

In a radio interview, Aberjil lashed out at international outrage over the pictures, "I did not humiliate those detainees. I didn't hit them, I didn't act toward them unpleasantly. It's completely different than the American soldier some are trying to compare me to," she said, referring to the images taken in 2003 by American soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

Aberjil titled the photos "The Army. The Most Beautiful Time of My Life." She left the Israeli Defence Force last year.

Army officials said the pictures were "shameful." It is not clear if any official action will be taken against Aberjil.