Firebrand Likud MK assails IDF brass, citing false report a commander was fired
Tally Gotliv doubles down on her criticism, despite acknowledging a tank commander was not in fact dismissed for crushing an ‘I love Gaza’ sign
Likud MK Tally Gotliv lambasted IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and the rest of the army’s leadership online on Tuesday night following a false report that a tank commander had been fired for running over an “I love Gaza” sign in the Gaza Strip.
Gotliv, who is known for her provocative statements, accused Halevi in a post on social media platform X of “making another ridiculous gesture for the ‘uninvolved’ Gazas who mock Israel.”
The false report was posted on Tuesday by X user Herzel Laks, who wrote that the commander of a tank shown in a video online running over the sign at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt had been fired by the Southern Command head and that Halevi had reprimanded the Armored Brigade’s commander.
Laks added that the IDF had put out a statement saying that the video “was not in keeping with the IDF’s morals” and that the incident, “which offended hundreds of uninvolved Gazans,” would be investigated.
תיעוד: הטנקים של חטיבה 401 השתלטו על מעבר רפיח pic.twitter.com/j5KoycXHq9
— איתי בלומנטל ???????? Itay Blumental (@ItayBlumental) May 7, 2024
An hour later, Laks added a clarification that he had written his post sarcastically and apologized “if anyone was hurt or felt misled” by it.
However, he refused to delete it, claiming that “the fact that it seemed completely real to many people says a lot about the moral low the IDF’s leadership has sunk to.”
Posting 12 hours after the clarification, Gotliv addressed Halevi, saying, “Honorable sir, this was an act that was in keeping with the humiliation of the Gazan enemy and the ‘innocents’ who help hide living and dead hostages.”
“It’s in keeping with the enemy’s language that we crush the sign as a statement saying ‘we’re here.'”
She added that “the enemy’s spirit must be broken” and that firing the commander “contributes to and strengthens Hamas’s sense of victory and its mocking of Israel.”
Gotliv addressed the inaccuracy of the false report only on Wednesday morning, saying that it had been brought to her attention that the commander had not in fact been fired.
“The fact that it wouldn’t have surprised me if it had been true is sad in itself,” she added, doubling down on her accusation.
“An IDF official personally told me that vengeance and merciless fighting are not the values of war, and that’s the essence of the lack of understanding of the cruel enemy we face and the language it understands.”
She added that a series of decisions like firing soldiers who prayed in a mosque in Gaza and ordering soldiers to erase “the people of Israel live” graffiti were proof to her that “the IDF’s leadership worries more about respecting the enemy than respecting our brave soldiers.”
IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari put out a statement several months ago calling on soldiers not to film themselves if the documentation does not serve an operational purpose, saying such actions violate military orders.
Despite the statement, some soldiers have spread photos and videos of themselves arresting suspects stripped down to their underwear, playing with lingerie, and praying in mosques, among other controversial footage.
The war in Gaza broke out on October 7 when Hamas terrorists launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 252 hostages.
Israel launched its ground invasion in the Gaza Strip at the end of October with the proclaimed goal of dismantling Hamas and getting the hostages back.
The Times of Israel Community.