Israeli Defense Minister bans songwriter who compared Palestinian soldier-slapper to Anne Frank

Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman instructed Army Radio to ban songs by and interviews with Yehonatan Geffen for comparing Ahed Tamimi to Anne Frank.

By: Margot Dudkevitch, World Israel News

Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman instructed Army Radio on Tuesday morning to refrain from interviewing or broadcasting songs by Israeli songwriter and author Yehonatan Geffen after he posted a poem on Instagram comparing Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi to Anne Frank, Hanna Senesh and Joan of Arc.

In the poem, posted Monday, Geffen said Tamimi was born into “50 years of occupation and humiliation” and compared her actions to “David who slapped Goliath.” “You will be on counted alongside Joan of Arc, Hanna Senesh and Anne Frank,” Geffen ended the poem.

Tamimi, whose actual age has been disputed, will stand trial on charges of assault and incitement, after she was filmed provoking, slapping and kicking IDF soldiers deployed in her village of Nabi Saleh last month. She was detained on December 19 along with her mother after footage surfaced of her assaulting the soldiers. Her subsequent arrest became a cause célèbre for anti-Israel activists.

Defending his decision, Liberman declared the State of Israel “will not give a platform to a drunk who compares a child who perished in the Holocaust and a brave fighter who fought the Nazis to Ahed Tamimi, a brat who attacked soldiers.”

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit criticized the defense minister saying he has no authority to instruct Army Radio what to broadcast.

Ahed TamimiBassem TamimiIDFYehonatan Geffen