During his speech, Ya’alon also says he “was forced” to make additional comments about Azaria when he “heard MK [Avigdor] Liberman and MK [Oren] Hazan storming the military court, along with [right-wing activists Bentzi] Gopstein, [Baruch] Marzel and [Moshe] Feiglin.”
He says all of his comments were made to defend the military.
“Who will protect the IDF chief of staff, if not the defense minister,” he says.
Ya’alon, a former chief of staff and member of the elite Sayeret Matkal unit, derides the “heroes from Big Brother, Facebook and Twitter” who “tried to give him lessons about fighting terrorism,” in a clear reference to Sharon Gal, a former MK and current participant on the Big Brother reality show, who was at the forefront of Azaria’s defense.
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon delivers a speech on Monday, February 21, 2017 (screen capture)
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