Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan criticized the IDF's media department tonight in a eulogy he gave in memory of Shuvael Ben-Natan, a resident of Rehalim in Samaria, who was killed in action in Lebanon during Simchat Torah.
Dagan referred in his eulogy to an event 11 months ago, when the Ben-Natan family went for a walk in their grove near their home on a Saturday afternoon. The family claimed they were attacked by terrorists with stones during their walk.
Shuvael, who went on leave and was walking with his family, fired into the air to protect his family, and immediately afterwards false reports came out from the Palestinian Authority claiming that settlers attacked Palestinians and one of them shot a Palestinian and killed him.
According to Dagan, the IDF spokesperson then issued a statement to the media claiming a "violent friction" before the event was fully investigated. Shuvael was arrested, and Dagan took an unusual step on Saturday to support the soldier with special permission from the rabbi of Samaria, Rabbi Eliyakim Levanon.
Dagan notes that yesterday when he was on his way to the funeral, he was informed that a few days ago the case was closed because it was found that Shuvael acted properly, but Shuvael didn't get the chance to receive the message that clears him completely because he was fighting.
"11 months ago near Rehelim you protected your family who was attacked by Hamas members under the guise of the olive harvest. And you took down one of the Hamas members," Dagan said in the eulogy at Mount Herzl.
"They slandered you terribly, including the IDF spokesperson who relied on a false report. You sat in custody for two weeks for nothing, and when you got out you fought to return to the battalion, to get your weapon back and to continue fighting, including in Lebanon. You did so until your last breaths. A universal Jew for all Israelis. This evening they informed me that a few days ago the case against you was permanently closed, but they could not inform you that it was found you acted correctly, because you were deep in Lebanon. You fought and protected all of Israel, until your last breaths."
"The entire nation of Israel - cries and hurts but promises you we are not broken and will never be broken. We will build our land even more, we will build more. We will fight for victory in your special way and with your strength."
Shuvael's father, Rabbi Ben-Natan, also addressed the incident, "Shuvael, I was so impressed by you, almost a year ago we went for a walk, there were cursed olive pickers, terrorists, that the IDF didn't grasp the event, a few days after Simchat Torah, allowed them to get close, to the town, and we are walking, dozens of Arabs surround us and throw stones at us.''
''The scoundrels arrested you, didn't even investigate the Arabs, this is the essence of all the confusion we live in. You were so hurt leaving there, you told me: ''I can't stand it." You were just hurt. Is this the soldier they're taking weapons from? How many soldiers like this do we have, our heroes! After all the injury you rose above yourself and said, it doesn't matter, here we fight, I will go! We felt you were rising above all the injuries."