News

Israeli minister says IDF should have fired on unarmed Palestinian protesters for humiliating a soldier

That video of Palestinian women protesters pulling down an Israeli soldier in Nabi Saleh on Friday when he was beating a boy has shocked the world. Well, it has shocked an Israeli leader too. Israel’s culture minister Miri Regev says that the unarmed protesters should have been shot.

Regev’s twitter account says she was shocked by the incident:

Our soldiers can’t be sent on missions with tied hands

This post is now updated to include a translation from Tali Shapira.

Regev said she wanted to change the army’s policy on the use of live-fire because of the “humiliation” the soldier endured.

“We need to decide immediately that a soldier that is attacked is permitted to return fire. Period. I call on the minister of security to put an end to the humiliation and change the open fire regulations immediately!” Regevwrote in a Facebook statement.

“Anyone who tries to harm Israeli civilians and soldiers needs to know his blood is in his head,”  Regev continued, using a Hebrew expression to convey that the Palestinians who assaulted the soldier are fair game for shooting.

A spokesperson for the IDF said Friday that Palestinians were to blame for the incident: “A violent disturbance of the peace in Nabi Saleh, in which Palestinians threw stones at IDF forces that were in the place.” The spokesperson added that the soldier was attempting to detain 12-year old Mohammed Tamimi after he allegedly threw stones at the Israeli military. 

For the Tamimi’s the brawl was a victory, and celebrated across the front pages of Palestinian newspapers on Saturday. The footage and stills show a soldier applying force against a Palestinian boy with a casted arm in an attempt to arrest him. Yet the arrest does not take place, as a half dozen female Palestinian, including young girls, slap, bite, bash and choke the soldier who calls for back-up, but ultimately abandons arresting the boy.

There is a bit of folklore around the Nabi Saleh protesters. The town’s children are known to chase down soldiers during protests, and punch, hit, and kick them. In 2012 Ahed Tamimi—the girl in the pink shirt and braids in the video above, then 12, was filmed throwing a right-hook at a soldier.  She was later honored by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with an award in courage.

Regev is a former spokesperson for the Israeli army. Her comments were first reported to us by two reliable journalists. Ira Glunts:

Crazy Israeli minister was shocked by Nabi Saleh video. She thinks soldier should have opened fire.

From David Sheen:

Israeli minister @regev_miri: Palestinian protestors deserve death, soldiers should shoot unarmed women & children

 

Miri Regev Facebook post on Nabi Saleh incident
Miri Regev Facebook post on Nabi Saleh incident

And look: Even Haaretz characterizes the women as the bad guys in that confrontation. An attack? Really?

Haaretz characterizes Palestinian women as attacking Israeli soldier
Haaretz characterizes Palestinian women as attacking Israeli soldier

Thanks to Adam Horowitz and Scott Roth and Ofer Neiman.

 

61 Comments
Most Voted
Newest Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

It was a busy week for Ministerin Regev.

European news outlets are reporting that the Berlin Philharmonic and the Iranian government are in talks about a concert that would take place in Tehran. The rumors of a possible performance are the latest sign of growing cultural and economic ties between Iran and the West, since the signing of the nuclear agreement between the Islamic Republic and the P5+1 powers last month.

When word of the possible event reached the local press, Regev reacted angrily on her Facebook page.

“The conductor, Daniel Barenboim, a citizen of Israel, will perform in Iran together with the Berlin Philharmonic,” Regev wrote. “Barenboim has taken an anti-Israel stance and he makes sure to slander Israel while using culture as leverage in order to state his political opinions against the State of Israel. This is a mistake by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.”

Regev said she intends to write a letter to the German government, urging it to intervene in the matter.

I imagine that Regev must be frequently irritated, as she hears the word “culture” every day. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That%27s_When_I_Reach_for_My_Revolver

“Daniel Barenboim’s concert in Iran hurts Israel’s efforts to prevent the nuclear agreement and boosts the delegitimization efforts against Israel,” Regev wrote.

“Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism,” she continued. “It supports Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and Hamas, and its leaders have blood on their hands. I believe that Germany would do the right thing if it would cancel the performance.”

Either that’s an old picture or Madam has been seriously airbrushed.

How is the Tamimi family? Does anyone know?

This is from 972Mag:

UPDATE (Aug 30): On August 29th, the day after the incident, the IDF filed a complaint with the Israeli Police. Officials from the Samaria and Judea District police force told the Hebrew-language news website 0404 that “the attackers are well-known and will be arrested soon.”

http://972mag.com/watch-palestinian-women-and-children-prevent-violent-arrest-in-nabi-saleh/111117/

The more I think about the “controversy” the sicker it gets. The soldier is being criticized for NOT shooting unarmed women and girls.

Israel is seriously effed up. I saw on Twitter an Israeli cartoon where the artist had juxtaposed the soldier, arms in the air, with that iconic photo of the little boy being marched down the street of the Warsaw ghetto. I couldn’t read the Hebrew but I think the artist was alleging that the “rules of engagement” tie soldiers’ hands and leave them defenseless against “violent” Palestinians. Oh and did I mention that there was a Palestinian lady smirking in the background carrying a sling shot?

Really hope the artist was being sarcastic but I don’t think he was.

Remarkable, that with all the Israeli or Sunday-schooled family and friends the site owners boast of you don’t get someone to translate the stuff. I’m sure many discussants would be ready to do a favor.