Cursing professor apologizes to army chief

A week after sparking a row after he was caught on video by a Ynet cameraman cursing Hebron Brigade commander and IDF soldiers during the evacuation of Jewish settlers from the Hebron wholesale market, Professor Hillel Weiss of Bar-Ilan University took back his harsh remarks Monday morning. However, IDF sources told Ynet the military rejected Weiss' apology, saying it lacked sincerity. The IDF, added the sources, in considering recommending to its officers not to peruse their education at Bar Ilan, until Weiss recants his words in full. "From the remarks and the curses quoted in the media it may seem that I have bad feelings toward the soldiers who sacrifice their lives for the resurrection of the nation and the land," Weiss wrote in a letter to IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and Police Commissioner Dudi Cohen. "Without going into the events and the many details of what happened, including before I even spoke, I am sorry for stooping to such a level of curses in the remarks I made, and I regret these remarks. "In any event," the professor continued, "In the video under those special circumstances my remarks were taken out of context. Before I spoke, I was forcibly evacuated from the home of my daughter Tehila, my son-in-law Moshe and their six children, the oldest one seven years old, who were forcibly evacuated for the third time in the past two years. "They also lived in Netzarim and bought a house there for the full price from their pockets. They lived in the Mitzpe Shalhevet neighborhood, to which they returned after being expelled from Netzzrim, were expelled from the neighborhood once and now again." He continued, "Just like the Gaza expulsion caused a terrible distraction and a fatal mistake in terms of the result of deterioration in the Israeli army's deterrence, so did the Hebron expulsion. Manifestation of extreme weakness following the enemy's extortion calls for disaster. What I said was the result of my terrible fear over what is expected." "I myself was a paratrooper and a soldier in elite units," Prof Weiss noted. "I wish all the soldiers and all the people of Israel and all the residents of this country and region complete safety, and not destruction God forbid," he concluded. He clarified, however, that "for the avoidance of doubt, under absolutely no circumstances do I regret my religious Jewish ideological views. The rights of the Jews in Israel are inherent, holy and must not be harmed. "The IDF is not an occupier in its own country and cannot treat its countrymen as enemies. And in any event, I will continue to voice my opinions and fight for them." 'Forced to get down on his knees' Weiss later explained in a radio interview that he apologized due to "terrorist Mapainic pressure exerted on the university." Talking to Ynet, he clarified, "Since the remarks were published, Bar-Ilan University President Prof Moshe Kaveh was forced to get down on his knees against his will. After Rabin's murder they looked for the national religious Jews at the university, even though Bar-Ilan did not support the act and was not guilty of the murder." Weiss added that if the police summon him for questioning, he would show up. "Even if a person is sentenced to sit in jail, even if he loses his job, and even if his family suffers terribly – there are more important values. It may be easier to die as the army attacks an enemy than be humiliated and sit in jail, but a person must say what he thinks and believes. "I am trying to wake the people up to face the real danger: The expulsion of Jews is a distraction from the real danger, which is the eradication of the Jews by our enemies."

Cursing professor apologizes to army chief

Prof Hillel Weiss apologizes for cursing Hebron Brigade commander in letter to IDF chief of staff, police commissioner, but later says apology was due to 'terrorist Mapainic pressure'. IDF reject apology citing lack of sincerity