Defense minister slams supporters of Hebron soldier

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon lashes out at those who express support for the soldier who was filmed shooting and killing a wounded Palestinian assailant last month.

“The ethical issue we face as an army after the Hebron incident is a question of life and death,” Ya’alon says on a visit to a high school in Bet She’an, where he speaks to high schoolers slated to be drafted in the coming months.

“When we talk about ‘he who rises up to kill you'” — a Talmudic dictum that ends with “rise up and kill him first” — “we have to also talk about [the Biblical commandment] ‘Thou shalt not murder.’ It is important to us as an army that we know how to win [in battle] while remaining human beings. If we lose our moral compass, we will lose our way. It is forbidden to act in contravention of our orders,” Ya’alon says.

“Long before anyone saw the video” of the soldier shooting the fallen Palestinian, “his commanders understood that this was irregular behavior and launched an inquiry.”

The defense minister says he is “very worried about what has happened since the incident. Those who back such a soldier do not support the law or our values.”