Radical right-wing wedding video condemned
Guests are seen dancing with guns and knives, and even stabbing a picture of murdered Palestinian baby, in wedding video.
A video aired on Wednesday documented a radical right-wing couple's wedding in which guests danced with guns, knives, and Molotov cocktails. At one point, a reveler is seen repeatedly stabbing a picture of the infant Ali Dawabsheh, who died in a fire suspected to have been a terror attack committed by radical right Jews.
The youths seen in the video were said to be familiar with the suspects being questioned in connection with the murders of three members of the Dawabsheh family, including baby Ali and his two parents.
It was screened in full for right-wing activists in Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon's office.
The Defense Ministry declined to comment on the video, merely noting that it reaffirms Ya'alon's condemnation on Tuesday of incitement against the Shin Bet, which is questioning the suspects.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, did issue a condemnation of the video, saying, "The shocking pictures that were broadcast this evening show the true face of a group that constitutes a danger to Israeli society and to the security of Israel. We are not prepared to accept people who deny the laws of the state and do not view themselves as subject to them. The pictures underscore how important a strong Shin Bet is to the security of us all."
Sources who saw the complete video reported that it becomes even more disturbing.
Some on the right called for people to distance themselves from those in the video following its release.
"We were stunned for a few minutes," said Yesha Council Chairman Avi Roeh, who viewed the video in Ya'alon's office. "There were parts that I couldn't watch. It's shocking. We couldn't believe there are such radical youths. This is a group that doesn't belong to anything, and certainly not to us. What I was afraid of is occurring – we are being forced into a defensive position, even though I feel that we don't have to defend ourselves. There will always be a few politicians who will try to goad us. These things don't happen in our neighborhood."
The bride and groom in the video are well-known among the radical right. The video and other materials from the wedding have been given to Judea and Samaria District Police ahead of a planned investigation.
"Such acts are not the way of Judaism," said Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau. "It's a rejection and repudiation of the values of the Jewish people, of the Jewish Torah, and of the uniqueness of the Jewish people. Parents and educators must take it upon themselves, along with law enforcement, to do everything possible to prevent such horrifying identification with acts of terror and appalling murder."
Meanwhile, questioning of the suspects in the Dawabsheh murders has continued.
Itamar Eichner contributed to this report.
