PM: Settler violence – a stain on the state
Netanyahu, Barak and Gantz light first candle of Hanukkah at Ephraim Spatial Brigade base, a week after extreme-rightists attack commanders
Solidarity: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Chief of Staff Benny Gantz lit the first candle of Hanukkah with IDF soldiers at the Ephraim Spatial Brigade base, a week after extreme-right activists broke into the premises and injured the brigade commander and his deputy.
Netanyahu told the brigade soldiers that the incident was a stain on the rule of law and on the settlers, and as such it must be erased.
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"If you take the whitest shirt and slap it with a single stain, then the whole shirt is stained. This incident stains the State of Israel as a law abiding nation," he said. "We must join forces against this extremist phenomenon and erase this stain.
Netanyahu denounced "price tag" acts, saying "we cannot accept vandalism of mosques or harming police officers, soldiers or innocent people. This can happen, but if it does, we must act with full authority against the perpetrators."
The prime minister thanked the army, which he said was placed in a difficult situation, having to maintain the security of the population while protecting itself from attacks.
'Incident stains State of Israel' (Photo: GPO)
Defense Minister Ehud Barak also commented on recent events, and said that "a small group of extremists is trying to undermine the sovereignty of the state.
'Democracy needs to protect itself' (Photo: GPO)
"We will act with all our power to make sure that while disagreement are allowed, no person raises his hand against a police officer or soldier."
Barak added that "a democracy needs to protect itself against those who want to harm it.
"Some 99.9% of settlers are law abiding people. We must protect them and the Palestinians that are under our control," he said.
Answering to reporters' questions, Barak said he considered the incident an act of terror. "This transgression in my opinion is self-made terrorism and our duty is to do everything we can to stop it, including emergency regulations and punishments."
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