Prime Minister Naftali Bennett weighed in Sunday on the controversy over the death of St.-Sgt. Barel Shmueli and the IDF’s rules of engagement, saying he unequivocally supports the IDF.
Ahead of the cabinet meeting, he remarked,“I want to send a clear message to those in uniform and all citizens of Israel...I completely back the commanders and soldiers of the IDF. The IDF protects us every day of the year, and it is our job to protect the IDF.”
Bennett called on those “who are trying to use the IDF as a tool to promote cynical political goals...[to] stop it.”Their “inappropriate” behavior hurts resilience, he stated.
Citing his experiences as a combat officer, who lost friends in battle, Bennett said that “decisions are made during operational events. There are mistakes, and sometimes they are difficult and painful.
“That is how it is when we are fighting an enemy, and we must back the soldiers and commanders, especially when there are mistakes,” he added. “There are many battles ahead of us, unfortunately, and the IDF must be protected, so they can protect us.”
Earlier on Sunday IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi visited the Shmueli family in the central city of Be’er Yaakov.
Kohavi paid his condolences along with other senior officers though the family has leveled harsh criticism against the army and political echelon following their son’s death.
The family has also rejected the preliminary investigation into the incident and called for an independent one.
The visit comes shortly after Kohavi sent a letter of support to IDF commanders telling them that they have his full backing.
“A society that does not back up its soldiers and commanders even when they made a mistake will find that there is no one to fight for it,” he said Saturday.
“The willingness to bear losses is a condition for national resilience, and resilience is a condition for continued existence,” Kohavi continued, adding “Commanders and soldiers, I fully support you. Continue to initiate and take responsibility. Dare and bear the consequences.”
In the letter shared by the military, Kohavi added that the support provided to troops and officers will not be changed but strengthened.
“This is not just a matter for the IDF, it is a matter for the State of Israel, and at its center is the question of which commanders it wants – those who dare and initiate or those who defend and hesitate.”
Bennett on Saturday night said that his “support for IDF commanders is full and absolute,” adding that while for Shmueli’s family “anything is possible,” he expected politicians and public figures not to criticize the army and its commanders. “We have no other army.”
Saying that the “entire nation’s heartbreak over the death of Barel Shmueli is enormous,” he fell “in defense of his people and his country. He joins the best among us, who since the state’s founding have given their lives to sustain and preserve it.”
“When there is a battle, mistakes are made, and sometimes they are tragic,” Bennett said. “I greatly appreciate the IDF commanders’ dedication and their immense personal sacrifice for the country’s security.”
“I ask you now, you who are there on the front lines, to stand strong and to face the challenges in the field,” Bennett said. “We trust you and support you.”
The comments by the chief of staff and prime minister came after Shmueli’s mother, Nitza, told Channel 12 News that she didn’t believe anyone regarding the investigation into her son’s death.
“I don’t believe in the army, I don’t believe in the government, I don’t believe in anyone,” Nitza Shmueli said on Friday. “I handed him over to the country, and there was no one to protect him... All the training and all the target practice and all the studies and preparations, it was for nothing.”
The IDF released results of a preliminary investigation into the death Border Police officer on Friday, stating the open-fire regulations were not at fault but rather the placement of troops.
The investigation found that “it would have been correct to deploy the troops and use them differently once the violent mob reached the defensive wall. At the same time, no discrepancy was found in relation to the rules of engagement, which had not been changed at any stage before or during” the riots.
According to Army Radio, the military is debating whether or not to publish footage from the riot showing how fast protesters rushed at the gate where Shmueli had been stationed.