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Photo: Zvika Tishler
Ya'alon
Photo: Zvika Tishler

Ya'alon accuses politicians of capitalizing on Azaria for votes

Former Defense minister Moshe Ya'alon posts a video on Facebook following Sgt. Elor Azaria's conviction, saying, 'I am proud of our commanders and soldiers and ashamed of self-interested politicians'; during the final stretch of his time at the Defense Ministry, Ya'alon received harsh criticism for coming out against Azaria.

Following Sgt. Elor Azaria's conviction of manslaughter for the shooting of neutralized terrorist Abed al Fatah al-Sharif, former Defense minister Moshe Ya'alon went on the attack, in a video posted to Facebook where he focused on the support that Azaria received from politicians.

 

 

"This is a hard day for Elor and the Azaria family, for Israeli society and politics and myself, as well," said Ya'alon at the beginning of the video. "I am proud of our commanders and soldiers acting according to IDF values, who were tasked with the responsibility of handling this irregular and regretful incident. I want you to know that I always have your considerations in mind."

 

Ya'alon (Photo: Zvika Tishler)
Ya'alon (Photo: Zvika Tishler)

 

"Today, with the verdict already be given, one can already state that the IDF and the Azaria family have been seriously injured by politicians who have betrayed their jobs," continued Ya'alon. "The criminal procedure that the soldier Elor and his family experienced was too tough to bear and should have looked and been managed differently. And the reason it was conducted in a way that made it difficult for all those involved was the cynical exploitation of the case by self-interested politicians looking out for their own personal gain."

 

A still from Ya'alon's video
A still from Ya'alon's video

 

"Instead of leading," said Ya'alon. "They used Elor and his family as a political pawn for a few extra mandates. They have lied to you. And I am ashamed of those politicians."

 

Ya'alon called on Israel's defense authorities to continue with their work while holding on to their humanity. "To all those taking part in the sacred duty of protecting Israel's security, keep on facing our enemies with determination, while maintaining our values. It is this that makes us unique among the nations and an example to all peoples. It is the source of our strength, it is our greatness," said Ya'alon.

 

"Just as I have physically protected the citizens of Israel from those who wished to hurt us, so will I not hesitate to defend Israeli society from those who seek to harm its values. This is not a matter of right or left, nor is this not a political game. It is a matter of understanding the importance of the values that define us as a society."

 

Shortly after Azaria's case was made public last March, Ya'alon came out strongly against Azaria, calling him a "transgressing soldier" and stressing that "He simply took the law into his own hands. He opened fire without justification." Ya'alon added that it was important for the Israeli top military and political echelon to come out against such a case, "to show that we're not like the other side."

 

At the time, Ya'alon also harshly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's actions in the matter, which included Netanyahu calling Azaria's father, Charlie to console him. "When the Hebron shooting affair just happened, Netanyahu had agreed with me that we needed to let the military prosecution investigate and handle this," Ya'alon said at the time. "And then, when he noticed the public mood, he changed his mind. As a minister, I had to back the IDF chief, but I felt like Netanyahu abandoned me."

 

"Someone who committed a transgression needs to pay the price," stated Ya'alon. 

 


פרסום ראשון: 01.04.17, 19:38
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