At the end of last week, documentation emerged showing left-wing activists being attacked by IDF soldiers following a left-wing demonstration in Hebron that was supported by Palestinian families.
Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzhak Wasserlauf was invited on to Radio 103FM to discuss the incident. "I served in Hebron," he said. "I know what it's like to have all kinds of anarchists trying to get on your nerves and photograph you doing something wrong, while you're trying to ignore their spitting and cursing. I would choose my words more carefully, but I'm not the soldiers' spokesman.
"That said, the situation there is extremely complex. The rioters seem to be doing whatever they want, including harassing the soldiers there, so I can understand a soldier saying - just wait till Ben-Gvir arrives and gets things in shape. Anarchists do harm to IDF soldiers every single day and prevent them from carrying out their duties. We must present the complete picture. Anyone who harms soldiers should be distanced from them so that they can get their jobs done."
Wasserlauf was then asked if he would like to see all protesters barred from entering Hebron, to which he replied, "You're looking for headlines, but I won't provide them. I did not say that it is forbidden to protest. What I said is that anyone who tries to prevent soldiers from carrying out their duties, who shoves cameras in their faces and tries to provoke them when they are on duty - such a person should be kept at a distance.
"I think that anyone who harms IDF soldiers should pay a penalty," he added. "Anyone who acts criminally is committing a grave offense, and those who do so because their intention is to destroy the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state should be punished far more severely. I was a fighter in the Golani brigade and I know what it's like to be under attack, which is why I will be the first person to stand up in defense of our soldiers."