PM Netanyahu condemns the clip, which police seized, that shows Orthodox youths dancing at a wedding reception with guns, knives and a fireb...
PM Netanyahu condemns the clip, which police seized, that shows Orthodox youths dancing at a wedding reception with guns, knives and a firebomb. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly condemned the "shocking images" displayed in a video recently seized by police, which shows Orthodox youths at a Jerusalem wedding dancing with guns and knives, stabbing a photo of Ali Dawabsheh, the toddler who was killed in the Duma firebomb attack that killed three members of the Dawabsheh family this past summer. This video filmed at an Orthodox wedding three weeks ago, Netanyahu said, exposes "the real face of a group that poses danger to Israeli society and security." He then went on to bolster the Shin Bet, by saying that the images publicized in the video "attest to the importance of the Shin Bet to our security," Netanyahu said. The Shin Bet has come under attack by right wing groups in recent weeks, after questions were raised about their interrogation tactics in questioning the suspected Duma arsons who were arrested in November. Some accuse the Shin Bet of torturing the suspects, according to the suspects' lawyers. Zionist Union MK Tzipi Living also denounced the video. “The Judaism of those who dance on the blood of babies is not my Judaism,” she said. “This is a group that wants to destroy Jewish Israel, to destroy this country from within, to turn it into a state of hatred and to destroy the regime from within.” The clip, which aired on Channel 10 news Wednesday night, shows that amid classical wedding dancing, guests with ear locks and kippas, skullcaps, danced with guns and knives. One masked youth held up a firebomb. Another is seen stabbing a photo of the Dawabsheh toddler, Ali. The video was shown on Channel 10 news Wednesday night. According to the Channel 10 report, the wedding was of a couple “very well known in the radical right.” The couple’s friends who were dancing were described as being friends of the suspects in the Dawabsheh murders. In the video one can see dozens of teens and young men singing a song in praise of revenge, while holding up guns and knives. According to the report, the IDF-issue rifles and licensed pistols were passed around at the reception from hand to hand, including to children. Information about the wedding made its way to police, who intend to question those who were careless with their weapons and to revoke their gun licenses. The video was given to Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, who sent it on to local council heads of Jewish communities in the West Bank and met with several of them. The council heads, stunned by the show of support for Jewish violence, issued a statement supporting the Shin Bet in its efforts to solve the arson case. The Channel 10 broadcast included an appearance by Avi Ro’eh, chairman of the Council of Jewish Communities of Judea and Samaria, making a statement in support of the police and security agencies. Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog wrote on Twitter, “You miserable people, you’ve forgotten what it is to be Jews. You disgrace your skullcap, your prayer shawl and the name of God. Whoever dances at a wedding and celebrates the murder of a sleeping baby is not Jewish and not Israeli. He should be put behind bars as quickly as possible.” Chief Rabbi David Lau also responded to the broadcast, saying, “Acts like these are not the way of Judaism. This is a rejection and repudiation of the values of the Jewish people, of the Torah of Israel and the uniqueness of the Jewish people. Parents and educators must take it upon themselves, along with law enforcement, to do everything possible to prevent this appalling identification with such frightful acts of terrorism and murder.” Less
