The father of one of the Givati soldiers suspended after violently attacking left-wing activists in Hebron called his son and the other soldiers involved "heroic soldiers," in a video published by KAN news on Sunday.
The father stressed that he gives full backing to all IDF soldiers and claimed that the left-wing activists had come to "disturb" the soldiers while they were operating in the area.
"According to what my son told me, they came and annoyed them, spit at them, cursed them, led them to political statements, talked with them about politics on purpose, took photos of them, they really forced them to make political statements that IDF soldiers aren't supposed to make, but this is the reality," said the soldier's father.
"The feelings of the soldiers at that moment were difficult, that instead of dealing every minute with the enemy which surrounds us, they needed to deal with Jews who came to disturb them in their work."
The father lamented that more focus wasn't being put on the fact that soldiers were being disrupted. "It's sad that the people of Israel need to deal with such small things in front of what we're really dealing with, such a big enemy."
The soldier's father added that he expects the commanders and the senior levels of the IDF to back the soldiers and to make them feel secure in what they're doing.
Five soldiers suspended after brutality against left-wing activists
Five soldiers were suspended after videos emerged of IDF soldiers beating a left-wing activist in Hebron and telling another activist "[Otzma Yehudit head Itamar] Ben-Gvir will make order here."
Video reportedly from the scene shows the activist being pulled aside by the soldiers into a bus station. As he was being placed in the station, a woman pushed one of the soldiers. As the two soldiers then confronted the woman, the previously detained activist began walking away from the station. As he was walking away, one of the soldiers grabbed him in a choke hold from behind before throwing him to the floor and punching him in the face.
In another video from the visit, a soldier told activists that “[Otzma Yehudit head Itamar] Ben-Gvir will create order here. You’ve lost it. All you do here is finished, the whole brothel you make here.”
When the activist asked if he was doing anything against the law, the soldier responded “you do everything against the law. I decide what the law is and you are acting against the law.”
The soldier was also wearing a badge with a skull reading “One shot. One kill. No remorse. I decide.”
Another video from Hebron on Friday showed a soldier pushing an Israeli journalist and shouting “I don’t like leftists. Get out of here. I’ll mess you up.”
“The soldiers’ behavior is severe, and the violence is not in keeping with the values of the IDF,” said IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi.
Ben-Gvir reacted to the incident as well, demanding that Kohavi clarify why he issued a condemnation of the soldiers and stressing that left-wing activists often "provoke" soldiers.