Following B'Tselem's video, officer's grandmother gushes
The family of the officer at the center of the video distributed by the human rights organization supports him, saying he acted to calm things down; a senior officer from the Judea and Samaria Division: 'I am very concerned about the fact that the most outstanding soldiers and officers are being shamed.'
"We all support him," she commented." 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."
The video documents an incident that occurred three months ago near the entrance to the settlement of Yitzhar in Samaria. During the incident, three Palestinians approached the settlement, one of whom was holding a camera. A force from the Nahal Brigade patrol battalion was dispatched to the scene and the commander of the team, an officer in the battalion, asked them to leave.
The officer's grandmother added, "I never knew what position he was in, but when I saw him in the video, with all this equipment, I thought to myself, 'Well done, these guys are there, guarding the place and defending the homeland without expressing a political opinion.' B'Tselem may do whatever they want; we will not bother them, but when they enter areas that are not theirs, they will stand aside."
A senior officer of the Judea and Samaria Division said Thursday that "a line was crossed, and this is a system that is gaining momentum and I am very worried about the shaming being done to some of the best soldiers and officers we have. Editing a video is always possible, but if we act like the officer acted, we have nothing to worry about.
"The most important thing is to ensure that the company commander or battalion commander arrive quickly to the point, not fall into such media ambushes. We instruct the forces not to lose their tempers in these situations, equip them with tools since nowadays it is part of the trade. It's training to stand in front of a camera."
According to the officer, he believes that soldiers and young officers will not be afraid to reach such friction points, following the video that made the officer unintentionally famous: "Part of the battalion's mission in the West Bank is to maintain law and order in the sector, and that is what this force did."
The IDF estimated that many of the soldiers who watched the video will learn how to conduct themselves in similar situations, which take place in the West Bank almost daily between soldiers and left-wing activists and Palestinians.
The Nahal Brigade noted that the officer's action did not surprise anyone. "He is an excellent officer who acted with determination when the Palestinian realized that he had not succeeded, so the Palestinian kicked him in the leg and was detained for it.
"The battalion operated in the same professional manner throughout the months of deployment in the Samaria area, as well as in friction between Palestinians and settlers around Yitzhar. Once you act wisely, you do not fall into their trap."
(Translated and edited by N. Elias)
