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Herzog counters former DM Yaalon’s claims: ‘The IDF does not commit genocide’

President Herzog: ‘The IDF is a morally responsible army that adheres to the highest international legal standards and humanitarian principles, with each unit supported by thorough legal guidance.’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

At a screening of a film about October 7th at the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem, Israeli President Isaac Herzog implicitly criticized remarks made by former Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon that the IDF was committing “war crimes” and “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza, Arutz Sheva reports.

Before the screening of The Children of October 7th,” President Herzog described the “diplomatic and security challenges” Israel faces, as well as attempt to harm Israel’s standing among nations through biased and unilateral legal forums, such as the International Criminal Court and its arrest warrants issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

He stated, “Repeatedly, we counter false accusations against us, including the baseless claims of genocide or ethnic cleansing supposedly committed by the IDF. These are complete lies. IDF soldiers do not murder, nor do they engage in ethnic cleansing. End of story.”

The President stated, “The IDF is a morally responsible army that adheres to the highest international legal standards and humanitarian principles, with each unit supported by thorough legal guidance.”

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Herzog emphasized the right of Israel to defend itself, particularly when faced with the devastation of October 7th in kibbutzim such as Moshav Netiv HaAsara, which lost 21 residents.

Responding indirectly to Moshe Ya’alon’s remarks, Herzog said, “The accusation that IDF soldiers engage in genocide or ethnic cleansing is not only completely false and disconnected from reality, but it also undermines our soldiers, commanders, and Israel’s security and diplomatic efforts during wartime. I fully condemn and reject these claims.”

Ya’alon, who was once the IDF’s Chief of Staff and served as Defense Minister nearly a decade ago in a previous government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said in an interview with Democract Tv that the IDF is guilty of ethnic cleansing in Gaza.

Speaking to Channel 12, Ya’alon reiterated his remarks, claiming that “far-right” elements within Netanyahu’s coalition were instructing the IDF to “carry out what are defined as war crimes.”

Ya’alon added that the IDF is “no longer the most moral army in the world.”