Ben Ari: Eisner Was 'Stabbed in the Back'

MK Michael Ben-Ari (National Union) on Israel's 64th Independence Day sent a letter of support to Lt. Col. Shalom Eisner, who was removed from his post as deputy commander of the Jordan Valley Brigade for striking an ISM anarchist from Denmark with his rifle.

"We all feel the wound of betrayal, the knife stuck in your back by leaders of defeat," Ben Ari wrote. "But despite the hard feelings, I think this is a seminal event. This event casts a light on the decay of values and morals in the IDF."

"In Amona, deputy IDF chief Yair Naveh, ordered the use of clubs. The result was hundreds of wounded, some who remain disabled even today. No one claimed this was not in the spirit of the IDF - and that was against Jews. But your error is compounded by the fact that you beat the enemies of Israel.

"Since the Oslo Accords were signed the IDF has become the army of low intensity against the enemy while concentrating on making war on Jews building outposts. This is an unforgiveable sin.

"IDF values ​​today are built on a hypocritical consumerist religion, which preaches submission and turning the other cheek. It seems George Orwell's 1984 is more realistic than ever: Surrender is victory, defeat is the pride, laxity is heroism.

"According to them you need to embrace the anti-Semites and surrender the field - because that will photograph well! To them that will decide Israel's fate. This is the IDF in full decay and it cannot judge you.

"You are a hero who is devoted to the value of victory and fidelity, which find no home in the army of Netanyahu and Gantz. They prefer officers like Ehud Barak. He eschewed every difficult decision lest the taint stick to him and harm his chances of promotion.

"Now, a great responsibility has come upon you. To lead and demand change and a return to the values of the IDF. I urge you to establish an Institute of Jewish Heroism, which will teach Jewish pride. It will teach our enemies that we will speak with a rifle or shotgun butt rather than give up parts of our homeland," Ben Ari concluded.

guess what?

Poll: Support for PM Falls
A Channel 10 poll released Monday night said that support for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had fallen in recent weeks. The poll said that 41% of Israelis said they support Netayahu, compared to 48% in the last poll several weeks ago.

The poll also said that 48% of Israelis were against the removal of Shalom Eisner from his command.

Prevent, arrest and deport

By Danny Danon 
source: jpost

The unfortunate incident which took place in the Jordan Valley on Saturday where an IDF officer was forced to fight off an anti-Israel activist has proven once again that we are not dealing correctly with this latest attack on the very legitimacy of our existence.
We witnessed this regrettable phenomenon again this week with the ludicrous internal debate that has surrounded the “flytilla” attack on Israel. Our society is busying itself with an absurd internal debate that includes calls from the extreme Left to welcome these anti-Israel activists and open a dialogue with them.
This is not only misguided, but actually endangers the foundations of our society.
Attempts to explain the rationality behind the Zionist dream of building a state in our historic homeland will simply not work with those who are attempting infiltrate Israel’s borders only to attack us from within.
It is time that we recognize the reality we are faced with. The State of Israel is at war. This war is being fought on a completely different battlefield than in the past, one in which the word de-legitimization has replaced bullets and provocative actions such as the flotilla have replaced tanks and fighter planes.
Nevertheless, we must not be confused by this new type of warfare. Just as we did not hesitate to confront to violent acts perpetuated by our enemies in the past, we cannot waver in our resolve against this new threat.
Would we allow a suicide bomber into our country so that we could attempt a “dialogue” with him? Of course not.

something more about lt. Col. Eisner

Lt. Col. Eisner is the son of the late Rabbi Benny Eisner, a close disciple of Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook, the spiritual father of the settler movement. Eisner is part of a cadre of younger religious officers climbing their way into the IDF leadership. In 1990, only 2 percent of the cadets enrolled in officers’ course for the infantry corps were religious. By 2007, that number had skyrocketed past the 30 percent mark. In some of the infantry brigades the number of religious company commanders has passed the 50 percent mark more than three times the percentage of the national religious community in the overall population. B'H".

The IDF Sacrifices Lt. Col. Shalom Eisner on the altar of political correctness

The picture the IDF does not want you to see. Lt. Col. Shalom Eisner leaving a Jerusalem hospital yesterday with his wife-- following treatment for injuries he received at the hands of a Danish provocateur. Eisner has been relieved of command for daring to strike back.

from: israelstreet

Lt. Col. Shalom Eisner was relieved of his command of the Jordan Valley Brigade this morning because of “operational and ethical failures.”  The IDF also has specified that Eisner will not be eligible for promotion for the next two years, effectively making it impossible for him to be promoted to what was widely considered to be his next post as  head of Bahad 1- the IDF  Officers Training Academy. It is important to note that Lt. Col. Eisner was not dismissed or discharged from the IDF.

Given the fact that international darlings Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak and IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz made the decisions to relieve Eisner of command and deny him promotion, these decisions come as no surprise whatsoever.

What remains shocking however is that Barak and Gantz apparently have relied exclusively on 25 minutes of supposedly “raw footage” of the incident taken by Palestinian TV cameraman Bashar Abdul Hek–who admits he was filming in order to support the International Solidarity Movement–and Hek’s description of what happened.

And while the IDF claims that it now has “the full video”, Hek himself says that the “raw footage” is incomplete, disingenuously telling IDF investigators that he stopped filming “for a while”, ironically at the precise moment when International Solidarity Movement provocateurs attacked the IDF soldiers with sticks. 

As for Andreas Las, the Danish “protestor” who was knocked down by Lt. Col. Eisner, there is still every reason to believe that it was Las who broke Lt. Col. Eisner’s fingers and fractured Eisner’s wrist. No evidence whatsoever has emerged to dispute Lt. Col. Eisner’s description of what happened 

Unfortunately, the entire episode is a metaphor for what has gone wrong with the IDF. Aggressive military commanders such as Yoav Gallant and Shalom Eisner have been replaced by a group of passive “military” leaders who cater to the international community–and put political correctness before the rights of IDF soldiers and the security of Israeli citizens.

And while those who would delegitimize Israel and work to undermine the country are cheering Ehud Barak and Benny Gantz today, Lt. Col. Shalom Eisner–a soldier who has worked tirelessly for Israel’s defense–was left to summarize his feelings this afternoon:

“I have received received the ruling in the matter with a heavy heart. I’m physically and emotionally injured and I have to recuperate. I have to reconsider my future in the IDF, should I be offered another position. I will continue to protect the state of Israel.”

Barak joins criticism of Eisner

Guess what? Defense Minister Barak slams officer who hit protester, says situation could have been defused differently.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak has released his opinion on the incident in which IDF Lt.-Col. Shalom Eisner hit a foreign activist during a violent protest. Barak slammed Eisner and rejected his argument that “doing the job” comes before looking good for the camera.

“There is no contradiction between completing the mission and acting in a way that befits the IDF and upholds its values,” Barak said, in a statement released by his PR people.

He slammed those who said Eisner’s actions were necessary. “The absurd statements heard today, suggesting that the officer’s anomalous and severe behavior stemmed from operational need or the principle of completing the mission, are not accepted by the Defense Minister and were never accepted in the IDF,” his PR office stated.
Eisner and soldiers under his command during the incident have testified that the foreign activist and those with him were endangering lives by blocking a road, had physically attacked Eisner, and had ignored repeated warnings to stand down.
Barak’s criticism follows that of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz.

While Eisner has been roundly criticized by the political and military elite, he has received support from his soldiers, who signed a petition praising him as a “moral and ethical” commander with many years of quality service. The bereaved mother of a soldier whose body he once retrieved has praised him as a hero, and more than 20,000 people have signed a petition expressing support for his actions.

It is time to wake up

from Israel, Jews and Juidaism


As news reports had it, Lt.-Col. Shalom Eisner, the deputy commander of the Jordan Valley Brigade of the IDF, struck an "activist" from Denmark on the face with the side of his rifle, lightly injuring him. Initial reports had it that this attack was unprovoked.
The response from across the board here in Israel was one of criticism and distress -- "This is not the way IDF soldiers act!" -- and he was suspended from his position.
As it turns out, however, there is more to the story. Much more. Eisner, who regrets what happened, says he acted reflexively following two hours of sometimes violent provocation by some 250 Palestinian Arabs and foreign activists, who had persisted in trying to enter a forbidden military zone. In fact, the "activist" Eisner took a swing at had first attacked him, breaking two of his fingers.
Questions must be asked then regarding when and under what circumstances, if ever, a soldier has a right to hit back when attacked, and precisely who these "activists" were, who were prepared to engage the IDF in violence. So much for all the hype about people wanting to come peacefully, although of course the Danish "activist" declares his innocence, saying that "I wasn't doing anything."

And there's yet more to the story. This Danish "activist" is said to be an anarchist and is apparently a member of the International Solidarity Movement, a virulently anti-Israel group. And guess what? The ISM was on hand to video the incident and then selectively release a small segment of what had gone on -- carefully editing out the provocations that would be seen on a full video. The ISM released that edited video to news outlets and put it up on the Internet. That's the M.O. of ISM: generating bad press for Israel.
More distressing than what an organization that is a recognized enemy of Israel did, however, is what the response within Israel was at a variety of levels. The media accepted and ran with the story, showing the video without further checking -- and that video went viral worldwide. Furthermore, national leaders apologized for the incident without truly knowing all the facts. This reflects a regrettable pattern -- Israelis ready to show the world how good we are and thus accepting blame reflexively, before the entire story is known. (The very worst incident was with the Al Dura libel, but the question is whether we've learned anything from it.)
"We've gone mad" is how Maariv commentator Ben-Dror Yemini put it, and I would agree.

IDF Chief of Staff removes Eisner from command for two years

Lt. Col. Eisner

Israel news photo: Flash 90

IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz has decided to remove Lt. Col. Shalom Eisner from his comman position following the media storm over an edited video showing him using force to restrain a protester.

Lt. Col. Eisner will not be allowed to perform any duties as a commander for two years. 

Military sources told Arutz Sheva that Lt. Gen. Gantz made his decision after consulting with the Central Command and the Ground Forces commander.

The IDF did not eject him from the armed forces, and his rank was not changed.

Lt. Col. Eisner was the commander of the Jordan Valley Battalion and was caught on film by International Solidarity Movement activists, who blocked the only highway linking the southern and northern communities near Israel’s border.

He shoved his rifle butt in the face of a Danish activist who had broken Eisner's finger while the activist was beating him with a stick during a two-hour confrontation, which the ISM video did not show.

Lt. Gen. Gantz’s decision was a foregone conclusion given the unprecedented media outrage over the incident, which quickly erupted into a broadside even before a thorough investigation had begun.

In reporting the decision to remove Lt. Col. Eisner from his position, Israel Broadcasting Authority’s Defense Analyst Carmela Menashe determined that it was impossible to keep him in his position because, in her words, he acted in direct opposition to his orders not to use unnecessary violence against activists. “He lost his cool,” she told listeners.

Voice of Israel government radio also brought in its legal commentator to speculate that criminal charges might be filed against Lt. Col. Eisner.

Soldiers, from privates to reserve officers, were incensed at the media campaign and questioned whether the same outrage would have been expressed had the officer involved not been religious.

National religious commentators noted that extreme police violence against protesters from their community  and against women and children in middle-of-the-night expulsions almost never has been met with media outrage.

Ironically, police in Denmark, home of the activist involved in the incident, were shown in a YouTube video as beating and pepper-spraying unarmed protesters, using violence that usually is seen in Iran, Egypt and other Muslim countries.

source

Shalom Eisner: This Is A Man

IDF Lieutenant Colonel Shalom Eisner arrives at his home in Jerusalem on April 17, 2012 (photo credit: by Uri Lenz/Flash90

from Jewishpress

Hagit Rein, grieving mother of the late Major B’naya Rein who was killed in the Second Lebanon War and whose body was recovered by Eisner under fire, called the Army Radio to express her dismay at the way Eisner was being judged by the “media court.”
During that war, B’naya Rein assembled a special force to assist damaged tanks. He was killed on that mission for which he had volunteered, and his body remained in enemy territory. At the command level it was decided that rescuing the body was too dangerous, according to the reservists’ letter. Then it was decided they lacked the necessary resources for a rescue mission.
After three days, Shalom Eisner, who was then commander of an armored battalion, heard about the abandoned body and said it was unacceptable that the body of an army officer would be lying on the ground while his parents were waiting for him at home. Eisner took a jeep, recall his fellow officers and soldiers, put on a flak jacket and went out to get B’naya. “Surrounded by burned-out tanks, missiles flying in every direction, he just went out into the field, loaded the body and brought it back.”

Lt. Col. Eisner’s supporters expressed their complete faith in him “as a man, as a friend and as a moral commander.”

Deputy Bik’ah Brigade Commander Lt. Col. Shalom Eisner, will be presented Tuesday the the IDF Chief of Staff, and it appears that the report will recommend to remove Lt. Col. Eisner from office, but keep him in the army.

However, the legal proceedings against Eisner will continue, and may affect his future career. The investigation was headed by Central Command Chief, Gen. Nitzan Alon.

On Lt. Eisner and being pushed around in our house

Where is it written that Jews have to keep taking it on the chin?
From Jack Engelhard at Arutz  Sheva
 
We should be better? Maybe we should be worse (once in a while) and then they’d leave us alone.
Yes, I know, we’re Jewish and we’re expected to behave…after all, the neighbors!
Once in a while, though, enough is enough and it’s time to take care of business.
There’s a terrific line in the movie “Rudy” where the Notre Dame (football) coach gives his troops the following pre-game pep talk:
“Nobody…and I mean NOBODY…comes into our house and pushes us around.”
Well, nobody pushed Shalom Eisner around. 
He’s the IDF’s Lt. Col. who’s been making the front pages.
They – the (brutish) humanitarians -- came to his house, Israel, and rather than take any more verbal and physical abuse, Eisner went Bogie and gave a particular rowdy a “”facial” (hockey term) with his rifle.
Gevalt and Stop The Presses! Never mind the media, who live and lust for this, but even Bibi chimed in against Eisner and the IDF top brass has suspended him even before the facts are in.
Apparently one photo is enough – though not enough for men who serve with Eisner in the IDF and support him as being nothing less than honorable and a top-notch commander.
My guess is that Eisner lost his cool but momentarily…something like Shimon and Levi who also took care of business but on a much larger scale. Some may recall that our father Jacob was none too pleased, worried about the neighbors, but nobody’s bothered Dinah in quite some time.
I also take it for granted that Eisner is a decent man who never did this before and will never do it again but to my mind…to me he is a hero.
Confronted by yet another anti-Semitic thug (and they keep on coming by air, land and sea) he lost his temper.
Well it’s about time somebody did.
Where is it written that Jews have to keep taking it on the chin? 
David was no patsy and even at the very end he instructed Shlomo to take care of business.
Nothing quite as extreme from Eisner, but perhaps a message has been sent.
Recently, a gang of hoods beat up a Yeshiva kid in Brooklyn. Why? “Because Jews don’t fight back,” they laughed.
So thank you Lt. Col. Eisner for proving otherwise.

The mission comes before looking good

IDF Lt. Col. Eisner

Lt. Col. Shalom Eisner said Tuesday he has "no regrets" about striking a Danish activist, saying that doing the job is more important than looking good.

"What's more important, doing the job or looking good for the camera?" Eisner asked rhetorically during an interview with Channel 10.

"We know the history of these anarchists," Eisner said. "They came with sticks and broke my hand, but no one talks about that or films it."

"It's true; some of the pictures look bad," he conceded. "I used my weapon coldly, like a stick. I didn't kill anyone, and didn't put anyone's life at risk."

"My job was to protect my soldiers and open the road, and I did just that," Eisner said. "My sense was that this [the blow] would do it."

The protesters themselves said after the incident that they cut the rally short and decided not to block the road only because of the way I handled the situation," Eisner said.

Eisner also criticized the senior IDF commanders who publically criticized him while the IDF investigation was still underway.

"But all these stories do not interest our chief of staff [Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz] or the head of my command [GOC Central Command Maj.-Gen. Nitzan Alon]," Eisner said.

"There are a few questions," he said. "I admitted that it may have been a professional mistake to use arms in front of cameras, but I told the commander of the division I do not accept it as a failure of values ​​in any way."

"There is a question of what is more important, completing the mission or a good photograph? I argue that the mission is more important, they say otherwise. It could be I am wrong and they are right ".

"If the film was of nicely pressed soldiers waving flags, does that look good? What do I do to open my road? Do I put my soldier's lives at risk? Does that sounds good?"

"Someone broke my hand," Eisner said, pressing his suit. "Did anyone [on the general staff] understand the implications of breaking the hand of a Colonel in the IDF [without consequences]? No one."

The incident happened on Saturday when a group of foreign and Arab cyclists sought to block a main road near Jericho to protest Israel's presence in Judea and Samaria.

Critics of Eisner's suspension were quick to note the video of the incident uploaded to the internet was clearly edited in such a way as to cast Eisner in the worst possible light.

The altercation came at the end of nearly two hours of heated confrontation between protesters and soldiers, but the video began with Eisner striking Ias.

Eisner subsequently told military investigators that two of his fingers had been broken in an attack by the Danish campaigner before he retaliated with his weapon.

A medical examination confirmed at least one of Eisner's fingers was indeed broken during the demonstration.

He remains suspended pending the outcome of the investigation into the incident

However, a senior military source told Arutz Sheva that while Eisner's remarks were those of a man angry and defending himself, it was going to be difficult for him to continue in the IDF after his remarks.

source

השארתו של סא"ל שלום אייזנר בצה"ל

http://www.atzuma.co.il/rozimshalom

15/04/2012

במדינה מוסרית סגן מפקד חטיבת הבקעה, סא"ל שלום אייזנר היה מועמד לקבל צל"ש. מול רפיסותה של ממשלת ישראל נגד אנרכיסטים ופעילי שמאל קיצוני, היה אייזנר הקצין שניהל את האירוע בצורה נכונה והחזיר את יכולת ההרתעה של צה"ל. את הסרט על האירוע פרסמו האנרכיסטים. אנחנו לא יודעים מה קדם לתקרית, מה עשו אותם פעילים רכובים על אופניים לחיילים ומה נאמר קודם. מה שכן ניתן לראות איך בדקות קצרות, מצליח כח של צה"ל לפנות את הצומת במינימום נפגעים. נכון, גם למלחמה יש חוקים, ולהפגנת הכח יש גבולות, אבל הכאת המפגין, לאחר אינסוף אזהרות,כאשר הוא ממשיך להתקרב באופן מאיים אל עבר החיילים שוב ושוב, עוד קצת ועוד קצת אין בה חוסר מוסריות,די!חייבים לשים סוף לפרובוקציות!!! המפגין אכן חטף, אבל לא מדובר במכה קטלנית. להבא, ידעו פעילי השמאל, בעיקר מחו"ל, כי ישראל היא לא קייטנה למשועממים, וכי הפגיעה בבטחון המדינה עלולה גם לכאוב.

חברים יקרים! אתרי החדשות וואלה וYNET מונעים מאיתנו את זכותנו הבסיסית לחופש  ביטוי, ע"י כך שאינם מפרסמים את דעותינו ואת העצומה שלנו, להציף אותם בתגובות עם קישור לעצומה! http://www.atzuma.co.il/rozimshalom גם למי שאוהב את המדינה יש זכות להישמע 

בתקשורת הישראלית

שלום אייזנר סמח"ט בקעת הירדן

in his own words

IDF Lt. Col. Eisner

I explained to the activists that many travelers were using the road because of the holiday and that they are posing a major security risk. All was calm and in control and that is why I didn't bring a water canon and gave them 15 minutes to protest. It was a group of 60 activists and suddenly two buses arrived and the activists all together called to block the road while closing our barrier. One of the Palestinian organizers told me at this stage that she no longer had control over the event.The weapon was the only thing I had in my hands.
The whole thing lasted 60 seconds, we prevented them from getting on the road and they boarded the bus. Obviously, they didn't show the part where they attacked us with sticks in the video. I should not have flung my weapon like that. But those are 60 seconds out of a two-hour event.

National Union MK Michael Ben Ari said:

“Well done to the IDF officer who did what Bibi and Aharonovich have no brain or courage to do,” Ben Ari said. “Radical leftists must be handled with a heavy hand. There was a tangible threat to the lives of the soldiers and the officer had no other choice. If it was a settler who was beaten we would not have heard the cries of the hypocrites on the left. Turns out they are not interested in human rights but the rights of terrorists and pro-Arabs.”
....and I do totally agree.

TODA LT. COL EISNER!!!