Education minister slams politicians who were quick to condemn the soldier who shot dead a neutralized terrorist, while the prime minister retorts: ‘Don’t preach me about morality.’
The political controversy over the IDF soldier who shot dead a neutralized soldier continued on Sunday as Education Minister Naftali Bennett clashed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other ministers during a cabinet meeting.
At the beginning of the weekly meeting, Netanyahu addressed the issue for the third time, after at first harshly condemning the incident and then offering a softer statement two days later.
On Sunday, he continued along the new line he took on Saturday evening.
“Any challenge to the morality of the IDF is outrageous and unacceptable,” Netanyahu told the media. “The soldiers of the IDF, our children, maintain high ethical values while courageously fighting against bloodthirsty murderers under difficult operational conditions. I am certain that in all cases, as in the current one, the inquiry takes into account all conditions. We must all support the IDF Chief-of-Staff, the IDF and our soldiers, who safeguard our security.”
Later in the meeting, while the cabinet discussed a bill proposal by Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked to toughen punishment to stone-throwing minors, Bennett used the platform to bring the conversation back to the Hebron incident.
“I welcome the bill, but it is not enough. We’re in a war against murderous Palestinian terrorism,” Bennett said. “At the forefront there’s the soldier, and we’re being tested. Why did you need to jump to condemn the soldier on Thursday, while the GOC Central Command’s investigation was only conducted on Friday?”
The Bayit Yehudi leader pressed on, asking “Why is he being led (to court) in handcuffs? What kind of message does this send to thousands of soldiers? An indictment for ‘murder’? You’re confused who are the good guys and who are the bad guys! Why is the entire leadership dancing to the tune of B’Tselem?”
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan was quick to respond to Bennett, “Who are you talking about, who were quick to condemn the soldier?”
“You know very well who,” Bennett responded.
Shaked backed her party leader, demanding to know why the IDF’s press briefings “against the soldiers” haven’t stopped.
Interior Minister Aryeh Deri chimed in, saying “We all support the soldier. But there’s a world outside, an international attack.”
The prime minister agreed. “We’re all backing him. Don’t preach me about morality,” he told Bennett.
“Backing is done in actions, not with words,” Bennett insisted. “Why is he being sentenced before the issue is examined?”
Erdan demanded Bennett to name those he accused of “sentencing the soldier. You’re talking like we’re on one side and you’re on another side.”
Lieberman: Impeach the defense minister
Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman also attacked Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon for not giving what he deemed to be the proper backing to the soldier.
“The prime minister is worthy of being called the ultimate weather vane, he and Ya’alon are the face of the B’Tselem organization,” Lieberman told Ynet on Sunday morning.
Lieberman at the Ynet studio.
Lieberman at the Ynet studio.
“I saw Netanyahu’s first statement, and then he saw where the winds were blowing – and flipped his position,” Lieberman said.
Netanyahu initially determined that “what happened in Hebron does not represent the IDF’s values,” and then posted a softer message on his official Facebook page on Saturday night in support of the IDF. “The attacks on IDF as an immoral army as expressed over the past weekend are outrageous and the opposite of the truth. The IDF is a moral army that does not execute people. IDF soldiers use their bodies to block murderous terrorist attacks on Israeli soldiers, and they are deserving of all our support. Regarding the latest incident—I trust the IDF to perform a thorough, responsible and fair investigation, as it always does.”
Lieberman also lamented, “How can a soldier even expect a fair investigation, a fair trial, when all in the proper authorities in the IDF already know what the commander wants?”
The former Netanyahu ally called the prime minister “spineless,” accusing that “all he’s trying to do is please public opinion.”
Lieberman also called for the impeachment of Defense Minister Ya’alon. “I expect the Likud members to sign the petition demanding to impeach the defense minister immediately.”
Israelis should demand that the west bank area C is put under someone elses control. Yaalon is on a vendetta, doing BB dirty work. Why dont the west bank settlers revolt and demand someone else?
that creature must be dismissed, indicted and jailed for the repeated false incarceration of innocents. Yaalon, a man not to be trusted, a man capable of any evil, a man who will do anything to anyone to cover up his crimes. It is time to bring the top corrupt officials to justice. I hope that the protest gathers to a storm against this betrayer of his own soldiers and the puppet master who appointed him. Liberman talks the truth.
held for seven months with no evidence by yaalon…. Israelis should demand yaalons resignation and indictment for his dictatorial abuse of authority. He is falsely imprisoning ettinger.
I can see in his manner and his eyes that he is the one who is viciously stalking jewish nationalists in a vendetta. Beware that arrogant mussolini.
the arrogant inspector javits stalking the jews… he is the one who should be indicted for abusing his office and trying to influence investigations to make Jews guilty. BB put him in charge of the settlements to keep the settlers in line and to obstruct settlers… it is under yaalon and BB that the euros build illegally for the last seven years while yaalon stalks Jews.
Yaalon should be dismissed and indicted!!!!!
It must be illegal or at least immoral for a PM and DM to declare a soldier guilty prior to the beginning of an investigation OR at any time before a jury issues a verdict. Who can repair the damage that this man has caused with his unbridled arrogance.
The claim that he was neutralized is not born from facts since he was not evaluated for possibly wearing belt-bomb!!!
Time for Ya ya to go.
isis want to slaughter Jewish children, what to moderate.
@ keelie:
@ bernard ross:
@ watsa46:
@ Bear Klein:
@ Steve Smyser:
This does not concern Israel more ???? The UN, The USA. Europe ?
http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2016/03/28/report-islamic-state-planning-imminent-attack-on-jewish-children-in-turkey/
pathologically lunatic masochists in the dungeon of the Stockholm syndrome…
“engaged in a debate” about a soldier killing a terrorist?
Lunatics like those cannot expect sympathy when the terrorists kills them in the future.
. Of course he deserved to die… and the soldiers should be given free reign to kill them without restriction. Is it more important to protect terrorists or jews?
to the next victim of a terrorist I refer them to BB and Yaalon for comfort and a sermon…. and then abbas on how to kill jews, live in Israel without punishment.
Soldiers will start to look out for themselves and not the public who sacrifices them on fake morality. Yaalon is a major disunifying force to the ranks below… when threatened with death they do not want to hear his bullshit sermons… Yaalon should be fired, he is biased and on a vendetta, a despicable creature. But then remember who hired him for that purpose.
yaalon is personally invested in pursuing settlers and nationalists, I cant imagine him pardoning one of them, and he sees the soldier as one of them. How can parents send their children to be commanded by that man?
the next time a jew is murdered by the enemy we must remind their family, their parents that at least they have ethics and morals to replace their daughter. That should comfort them.
Israel has become a fake, dysfunctional morality play.
the soldiers have become patsy’s in the leadership games.
they should go on strike to demand change… why should they protect those who abandon them and are disloyal?
Screw the fake ethical code which allows jew killing terrorists, like abbas,life in Israel and then pursues jews who kill terrorists. The ethical code that allows netanyahu and yaalon to regularly free terrorist jews killers who then kill jews again.
BB and yaalon should pardon him and change the law that no terrorist death shall ever result in a soldier charged for any reason. Leadership which frees terrorists, allows abbas to escape justice but enthusiastically pursues those who dont follow their warped ethics… screw ethics… ethics do not substitute for live Jewish children… kill the terrorists and the family that reared them to kill jews by teaching them that jews are sons of apes and pigs.
You are with me or against me is the only law of war deserving of respect.
Only in the Jewish nation could such an absurdity take place where the terrorist Klinghoffer jew killer Abbas demands justice from the Jewish state to put a soldier who killed a jew killing terrorist on trial…. and the state does it.
Thanks to Yaalon and BB for this pathetic and sad farce….
Loyalty trumps morality…. Jews who abandon the soldier do not deserve the protection of the soldiers. If Jews cannot agree that Jew killing terrorists deserve death then they deserve no protection against those terrorists… let them have morality instead.
I would not want any member of my family to be in such an army where their comrades and commanders are disloyal traitors protecting the enemy instead of their own. What idiot would choose such leaders to lead their children in a war? I am surprised that they dont go on strike to demand loyalty. Anyone sending their children to die in such a scenario are fools. Perhaps the soldiers should go on strike to get the dismissal of yaalon who has guaranteed that the soldier cannot get a fair trial while he expands his vendetta against the right wing and settlers even to the IDF. BB appointed him for this very purpose.
more gov vacillating idiocy probably motivated by an intention to change back later. the bodies should not be held because the pals will demonstrate to get them returned, instead immediate cremation makes the decision strong and irrevocable. Holding them with a wait and see attitude is what keeps Israel in limbo. They know that Israel is emotionally weak.. if their terrorists are killed and their bodies burned there can be no trades like the past and if Israel wants bodies returned they must bomb the pals until they meet demands.
the public forced him to retract his lies
perhaps Yaalon does the dirty while BB retreats behind the words? Similar to BB pretending to be pro settlers while putting yaalon in charge of the settlements.
thats the goal
those for jewish nationalism in Israel need to get rid of Likud who is just a rubber stamp for BB who has an agenda separate and apart from his coalition and keeps all the info in his poker hand to himself… for obvious reasons.
Liberman, like Trump, is not afraid of calling a spade a spade… if only Benett grew a pair.
bernard ross Said:
There you go Bernard, you pretty well summed it up in on sentence. ” What will they [gentiles] think” My Mother.
dont hold back bennett, say the names, the names of those who deserve criminal indictment for abusing their authority to influence the outcomes of criminal proceedings… here are their names starting at DUma:
Netanyahu, Yaalon, Erdan, rivlin…..
those are the names of the collaborators who stood up in chorus, declaring in unison, before evidence even enough for an indictmen… that the Jews burned the baby….. BB and Yaalon at the least…..
and now again, with even greater arrogance than the first time
sick disgusting criminals willing to sacrice jews for this:
sacrifice the jews to appease the international attack.. and this from a guy who was charged with corruption and managed to return to credibility under the BB gov because BB knew that Shas only platform was for their perks and privileges. Did Deri send his children to be soldiers or did they get out for Torah study? Just asking
In every situation Bb is putting Israel into “handcuffs” making it gov policy to treat terror like a policing problem. Important it is to realize that it is not error or incompetence that motivates BB but deception that leads him to sacrifice Jews in a “Breaker Morant” appeasement and sacrifice. When he sends soldiers into tunnels to die instead of bombing gaza to cinders it is the same MO that governs. When he plays the game of taxes with abbas and always gives them the money it is the same policy that governs. When hamas attacks jews with rockets and tunnels and he then treats their leaders anti semites in Israels hospitals it is the same fraudulent and deceitful MO that governs… DUH, why would I send my son to die in fake wars when BB treats the murderers in hospitals in Israel. Anyone in Israel who sends their chidren to die under such conditions is a lunatic. Hamas leaders and BB are laughing at this absurd situation that any fool could fathom.
if it weren’t for the public outcry he would have continued in his criminal enterprise of intentionally seeking to influence the outcome of the investigation and verdict through the abuse of his office
Imagine how sick and dangerous it is for a prime minister to accuse a soldier prior to an investigation.. it is now no longer possible for that soldier to get a fair investigation or trial without the public spotlight on the criminal behavior of BB and Yaalon. It is disgusting that BB has once again repeated his criminal behavior of Duma when he made sure that his lackeys stood up in unison and declared the guilt of a Jewish settler before even a suspect or indictment.
Israelis need to wake up and ask the questions and seek criminal charges against these abusers of their powers. It is wonderful that finally the eunuch Bennet has stood up like a man and asked the question I have repeated ansked here since duma:
Bennett recognizes that there is a “need to condemn” but he has not gone to the next step which would then transparently demonstrate a need to indict on criminal charges BB, yaalon, erdan and rivlin.
I am happy that finally an israeli has brought this sick and despicable behavior to public view.
LOL erdan is a joker as he was one of the four collaborators who stood up like a chorus in unison to make sure that the world knew that a settler jew burned a baby before they even had any evidence for an indictment. Erdan should well talk because now we see the exact same MO with the soldier in an even worse case where BB and Yaalon… yes that is the criminals that seek to repeatedly incite against nationalist jewish dissenters, who repeatedly criminally seek to influence the outcome not only of the public, the courts but now they criminally seek to influence even the outcome of initial investigations by declaring to the the world, the israeli public AND TO THE INVESTIGATORS that the most influential leaders want to make sure that their investigation ends with a charge of murder against a soldier who killed a terrorist.
When will the Israeli public proceed beyond asking the obvious questions and demand the indictment of the PM, DM, Pres and IM for abusing their authority and seeking to influence the course of justice by abusing their authority.
Is Erdan seeking to distance his first criminal duma behavior from this recent new abuse by Yaalon and BB?
BB is being forced to back off his despicable, and IMO, intentional attempt to influence a guilty verdict on a soldier who should never be charged in a war against terrorists.
watsa46 Said:
No they are the new Paul.
@ honeybee:
These are fundamentally the “same” people. I call them the “the new Jesus” of the XXI century. They prone universalism. They want to change Israel from afar and believe that they own the “TRUTH”!
@ keelie:
When I observe Liberal Jews embracing Islamist ,at the expense of Israel it reminds me of the 30ties. Then wealthy German Jews made accommodation with the Nazis at the expense of Haredi Jews of Eastern Europe. It did not work then, and it will not work now. Baal cannot be pacified. All will be consumed in the fire.
@ keelie:
Well you now, as well as I, that nothing will be done. When I think of all those beautiful children be blown to bits, my hearts weeps.
@ honeybee:
On a related topic, I wonder how many anti-taliban marches there will be all over the West, demanding that the Taliban be at least told how naughty they are for the disgusting killing of Pakistani Christians celebrating Easter at a park.
@ honeybee:
Yes, I agree completely. It’s not difficult to figure out what kind of people are “running the world” these days.
@ keelie:
The Belgium police took down a terrorist suspect at a crowded bus stop, while he was holding the hand of a seven year old girl. Where was the outrage !! Is it only when Jews protect themselves in their own Nation, that UN becomes involved ?
@ watsa46:
Just to clarify what I actually said… The idea of arresting terrorists and puting them through courts is absurd, unless there said terrorists are concealing “interesting” information.
When I hear that, for example, the FBI are having problems keeping up with the intelligence information received on the many potential terrorists in the US, my first question is, “Why is the FBI involved?” If the FBI has information on such people why can’t they just move in on them and put them behind bars – for a start.
The answer is that being a policing group bound by civil law, they can’t do anything unless an attack is imminent (and I don’t know how imminent) or has taken place.
The army operates under a different set of rules, but the most important motivator for the army is for somebody – perchance the president – to actually declare war on some enemy, be it internal or external.
Need I go on?
keelie Said:
This is SHITfare! That is all what the Islamists are capable off producing. Excuse the offensive word.
@ Steve Smyser:
My pleasure Steve…
What is also irking me is that the Arabs (all denominations) must be laughing their heads off (unfortunately not literally) at this situation. They can still be confident that the “nice Israelis” will eventually let them out of prison under duress (eg kidnapping).
This is Lawfare, not Warfare.
New political PC paradigm: guilty until proven otherwise.
Strangely enough, most IL prime ministers with time, move to the left!!!
Begin was true to himself. Anybody else?
@ keelie: Keelie you are quite correct, and thank you for agreeing with me (and thousands of others)
Give the solider on the back and say “good job” as he killed a terrorist and nothing else.
The enemy came to try and kill Jews the reward is death which these savages desire. Kolakvod to the solider whether he was worried about a bomb or not!
That the Prime Minister and Yaalon are trying him in the press is pure bullshit. I am with Bennett. Who knows this may finally be the curtain call for Bibi and company.
If you do not kill the terrorist he will get out of jail later and kill Jews again because the politicians do not keep them in prison or have them executed (no death penalty for terrorists).
@ Steve Smyser:
Yes, this is truly war. And while fighting this war, we should be playing by the enemy’s rules, not by the exalted, self-satisfying, rather smug, philosophy of being morally superior.
If this attitude were to be adopted by the governments of the West, instead of defining everything in terms of “Law Enforcement” and sending in police to arrest terrorists, it would help solve the problem of terrorism, at least to some extent.
I am reading this in the U.S. so may not have all the facts – however, we here read of a terrorist being “neutralized” – we see it often in our press and in English/Israeli news reports – forgive me, I thought “neutralized” meant “dead”. If it doesn’t, then it should. You seem to be finally getting the idea that you are at war with these heathens. Do not overthink this action of the soldier – he was doing the right thing. (and by that, I mean KILLING the enemy – that terrorist will never be a threat to any Jew ever again – good for the soldier)
We Jews are the moral conscience of the world. BeBe has to uphold the crime of a needless killing. If the victim was attacking the soldier, then morality would be on the soldier’s side. I leave it to Israelis to determine right and wrong. Lets wait and see what happens in the coming days.