IDF general accuses left-wing group of ‘slander’ against Israeli soldiers

IDF soldiers will continue to defend Israeli civilians,” Maj. Gen. Moti Almoz stated in response to b’tselem’s latest anti-IDF propaganda film.

In a recent scandal involving b’tselem – a left-wing NGO that claims to be a human rights organization, but basically publishes propaganda against the IDF – an Israeli soldier was filmed pointing his gun at a local Arab in Samaria who refused to follow orders and leave the premises.

The film provided no background to the incident, and the IDF accused the NGO of recording videos that “are out of line with reality.”

The event took place about three months ago in Samaria, near the entrance to the Jewish community of Yitzhar, where three IDF soldiers were standing guard.

The soldier repeatedly told the Palestinian to go home, to which the man responded, “I am home. I’m on my land. You go.”

The soldier cocked his gun, which is standard IDF procedure when a suspect continues to defy orders.

The suspect also identified himself as a b’tselem volunteer, warning the soldier that he was being filmed.

B’Tselem posted the film on Facebook; it attracted over 200,000 viewers.

“To the parents of the officer with the beauty mark above his upper lip, who served near the settlement of Yitzhar this February—If you wish to enjoy your heroic child’s deeds during operational activity, go to the Cinematheque in Tel Aviv. Your son will star there—cocking his weapon against civilians with the two other soldiers who are there with him,” the anti-IDF NGO stated in the post.

B’Tselem Films vs. ‘the Truth’

“To all our slanderers, hello. We don’t always respond because sometimes all you seek is a free campaign and publicity, even by provocation and belief that clips or statements are more important that everything, even more than the truth,” Maj. Gen. Moti Almoz responded on Facebook.

“Last week a video was propagated of an IDF officer during operations in the area of the Yitzhar community. IDF commanders and his soldiers are working day and night to defend Israeli civilians and will continue to do so,” Almoz stated.

“There is a fundamental difference between filming an incident while it is taking place and creating an incident by going to a specific place with a camera. Most of the time you choose the latter option and cause friction that did not exists beforehand. The officer that appears in the clip acted as expected with the full support of his commanders,” the statement continued.

Almoz: NGO Clip ‘Out of Touch with Reality’

“You keep on producing videos in the name of freedom of expression, even though the expression is out of touch with reality, and we will continue to protect the citizens of Israel,” Almoz declared.

According to an IDF investigation, three Palestinians had approached the soldiers and filmed the officer for 40 minutes at close range. The soldiers also said in the investigation that one of the Palestinians kicked the officer in the leg, and was subsequently arrested.

“Palestinians don’t go to points in the area with a camera, but rather live in them, on their soil,” b’tselem claimed in response, claiming that the “aim of the state [of Israel] is to advance a land grab and to advance the illegal settlement enterprise, while trampling on human rights of Palestinians using the army.”

“The use of the army in the name of advancing a political agenda—dispossession and settlements—is the thing that brings the army into the political argument. An end of the occupation will end this,” the NGO concluded, in fact showing its own political agenda by maligning the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.

Soldier’s Grandmother: ‘We All Support Him’

The grandmother of the maligned IDF soldier defended him, telling the Israeli news site Ynet in an interview, “We all support him. He is a wonderful man and an outstanding soldier who took a stance exactly where he should have. I am proud of him, he did not deviate from his authority, he made the right judgment and acted rationally. He calmed the spirits … and did not act recklessly.”

By: World Israel News Staff
(With files from Ynet)

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