Soldiers, officers who served under
Lt.-Col. Shalom Eisner ask that army take his 'many achievements' into account
when disciplining him over beating of Danish pro-Palestinian activist

Yoav Zitun







Published:
04.16.12, 23:29 / Israel News Eighty-three reservist officers and soldiers who served under the lieutenant
colonel who was videotaped striking a Danish pro-Palestinian activist with
an M-16 rifle, sent a letter addressed to IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz and Defense Minister Ehud Barak in which they expressed "support and appreciation" for
their "moral and ethical commander." The combatants said that throughout his military career, Shalom Eisner has
"safeguarded the values and spirit of the IDF" and "was highly sensitive to his soldiers' needs." This sensitivity,
they said, was also displayed when Eisner "came to the aid of a pregnant
Palestinian woman on the Jordan Valley Highway." The combatants further wrote, "We are convinced that you will take (Eisner's)
many achievements into consideration when you discuss which measures will be
taken against him." Lt.-Col. Eisner was interrogated by Military Police investigators for the
first time Monday evening, was suspended on Sunday from his duty as deputy
commander of the Jordan Valley Territorial Brigade. Denmark demanded clarifications on Saturday's incident, which was
condemned by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres and army chief Gantz.
An initial investigation into the incident revealed that Eisner opted not to
use crowd dispersing means against the group of Palestinian and foreign
bicyclists, who, according to the IDF officer, planned to block Route 90 in the
Jordan Valley to protest against restrictions on Palestinian movement in the
area. Eisner told his commanders that the activists assaulted and injured him,
but admitted he should not have resorted to violence. The Palestinian who documented the incident told Ynet that the Danish
activist, Andreas Ias, did not attack Eisner, as the latter claims. "The
activist was standing in place when the officer suddenly approached him and
struck him with a rifle," the cameraman said. "I am willing to submit all of the
footage to whoever investigates the incident and reveals the truth." Dov Lior, a prominent rightist rabbi, said the "hypocritical
condemnations" of the incident are meant to "appease the nations of the world.
Thus, they serve our enemies at home and abroad and deal a severe blow to the
IDF."