Hevron activist Baruch Marzel had harsh criticism on Thursday for Colonel Yariv Ben-Ezra, the outgoing commander of the IDF's Judea Brigade who testified against IDF soldier Elor Azariya.

Azariya is currently on trial for shooting and killing a wounded terrorist in Hevron.

Colonel Ben-Ezra claimed several times that there was no justification for Azariya's actions, but former MK and journalist Sharon Gal, who has been in close contact with the Azariya family, said on Thursday that Ben-Ezra "wasn't at the scene, didn't question Elor, and didn't see anything that happened there.

“Ben-Ezra betrayed his soldier,” Marzel told Arutz Sheva later on Thursday. “In the IDF today there are two armies: The soldiers who fight and the officers who the leftists like, and they are betraying their soldiers.”

“There is a danger to the state of Israel,” he stated. “Today we have commanders in the army who I wouldn't follow into war, because I don't know if they won't betray me tomorrow.”

“A soldier has to know that his commander is like his father. He will give him backing, he will fight for him, and not betray his soldier the moment it's convenient for him,” added Marzel.

Marzel also played down the government's reported plan to support the Har Hevron communities, with an emphasis on Hevron and Kiryat Arba, at a cost of 50 million shekels.

“Netanyahu has been promising this for three years,” he said. “He's giving the money to things no one has a need for. He's giving it to psychology, all kinds of medical treatments for people who were hurt by terror. It reminds me of the people of Chelm. In Chelm, when the people fell off a bridge – instead of fixing the bridge they built a hospital below the bridge.”

“We want them to fix the bridge – for people not to get hurt. We need more building, we need fighting against terror and Netanyahu isn't going to give us those things,” said Marzel.