A reservist soldier serving in a battalion operating under the Menashe Brigade was suspended from service after being filmed yesterday (Saturday) damaging a monument commemorating Yasser Arafat in the Palestinian Arab village of Zababdeh in Samaria.
During an operational activity in the village, the soldier was recorded causing damage to the monument. The footage spread on social media and sparked strong reactions in Arab society.
The Israel Defense Forces clarified that the soldier acted contrary to regulations and to what is expected of an IDF soldier. The commander of the Menashe Brigade conducted an immediate inquiry with the battalion, after which it was decided to suspend the soldier from reserve service.
The incident drew widespread condemnation on the Palestinian Arab side, and the governor of Jenin arrived at the monument site in Zababdeh, stating that the Palestinian Authority would act immediately to repair the damage.
MK Tali Gottlieb launched a sharp attack against the military leadership and defended the soldier: “The army’s top command is suffering from a severe autoimmune disease! A heroic reservist who fully understands the enemy’s language smashed the image of the arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat that had been embedded on a map of the Land of Israel. In return for this video, the soldier was suspended from reserve service."
She argued that the senior command does not understand the reality on the ground, adding: “Like the disgraceful decision by Herzi Halevi at the time to erase the graffiti in Gaza saying ‘The people of Israel live,’ and like the suspension of reservists who found a weapons headquarters in a mosque and wrote there-heaven forbid-‘The people of Israel live.’ I salute them with pride! If only the top command understood what this reservist understood."