Israeli officer who attacked activist suspended
The Israeli military says it has suspended a senior military officer filmed assaulting an unarmed activist protesting Israeli occupation policies in the West Bank. In the video, Lt. Col. Shalom Eisner is seen smashing the Danish activist in the face with his M16 rifle.
The military said Monday that Eisner would be suspended while the incident is investigated. The assault was posted on the Internet and broadcast on Israeli TV on Sunday. It further tarnished Israel's image the same day the government suppressed a mass fly-in of pro-Palestinian protesters who had hoped to draw world attention to the Israeli occupation. Dozens, if not hundreds, of activists were barred from boarding flights to Tel Aviv and dozens of others were denied entry after landing.
+972: WATCH: IDF Lt. Col. rams rifle in face of activist (UPDATED)
Russia Today: Israeli officer hits unarmed protester in the face with rifle - VIDEO
Gilad Atzmon: Rabbis For Violence, Brutality and Abuse - Ynet reports today that Israel leading rabbis rally to the aid of Lieutenant-Colonel Eisner, an IDF hooligan officer who attacked Danish peace activist yesterday. Several prominent rabbis expressed their support for the religious Lieutenant-Colonel who was caught on camera brutally attacking a peace activist with his rifle. The Rabbis insist that the military’s decision to suspend the Lieutenant-Colonel was impetuous. Lieutenant-Colonel Eisner expressed remorse over his action, saying that while he should not have flung his weapon at the activist, the video footage released depicted only “60 seconds out of a two-hour event.” This is indeed a winning Talmudic spin. Rather than dealing with factuality and truth of the matter, we are asked to engage with the ‘unknown’, the ‘missing footage’ so to say. [...] Sooner or later, Israel and its Rabbis will have to make a very painful decision. They will have to face the horrific moral and ethical consequences of maintaining a racist, nationalist and expansionist Jewish State.