A day after tens of thousands of Arab rioters charged Israel’s security fence along the Israel-Gaza frontier and clashed with IDF forces securing the border, a senior Israeli journalist suggested that Israel should distribute presents to the rioters, rather than use force to prevent them from breaching the border.
Hadas Shtaif, a senior reporter for Army Radio, wrote on Twitter Tuesday morning regarding the violence along the Gaza border on Monday, lamenting the more than 50 rioters who had been killed by IDF fire.
“55 dead and thousands more wounded on the Gaza border,” Shtaif wrote. “Look at them. See them. They are young boys. Frustrated, poor, prisoners of life. Instead of shooting them, throw them packages of nice things. Let them understand who their real enemy is. We need to think differently.”
Following criticism of the tweet, Shtaif released a follow-up statement saying Israeli security personnel were placed in a ‘difficult position’, adding that Israel should target the Hamas leadership – but not rioters attacking Israel’s border.
“We have soldiers and officers doing what they’ve been ordered to do. It’s not easy, either physically or mentally. Also for them we must think differently. Hug [the rioters] instead of killing. Killing the leaders. They are the real enemy.”