Avigdor Kahalani
Avigdor KahalaniEliran Aharon

Legendary war hero Brigadier General Avigdor Kahalani spoke with Arutz Sheva about the IDF soldier who shot a neutralized terrorist and the recent exposé on Rehavam Ze'evi.

Kahalani expressed his sympathy with Elor Azariya, the soldier now facing trial. "There are two points of view here," he claimed. "That of the soldier - this is a fighter who is defending his country against the terrorists that kill people every day and it infuriates us. I think that we need to kill any terrorist who leaves his home."

At the same, he acknowledged that "we must look at the state as a country and the army as a military. I've seen cases where enemies fought against my men and suddenly surrendered. It happened with Egypt in '67, with Syria in '73, and it happened to me in Lebanon in '82. Suddenly they raised their arms, because the Geneva Convention and the IDF's values require you to refrain from firing, even if one of them may intend to shoot you."

Ultimately, Kahalani agrees with the IDF Chief of Staff and the Defense Minister that there should be a criminal investigation against the soldier. "This is the right decision in the long run." Even so, he hopes the soldier is found not guilty.

Regarding the second topic - the Uvda exposé on former Tourism Minister Rehavam "Gandhi" Ze'evi - Kahlani says that the program was painful to watch. "I knew Rehavam personally. He was a renaissance man, a lover of books, one of the country's best sons.

"All historians judge people who are no longer alive, every book that is written deals with history as a single path. Gandhi still has his honor - one piece can't erase a person. He was a man of values and, from a journalistic point of view, I can't block the media."

Kahalani was awarded the Medal of Distinguished Serve for his actions in the Six-Day War and the Medal of Valor for the Yom Kippur War.