It appears that one of the more serious losses sustained by the Israeli left in the past decade has been its sense of humor. I’ll explain. Remember when, back in February 2022, Otzma Yehudit MK Itamar Ben Gvir set up his office in the Shimon HaZadik neighborhood, a.k.a. Sheikh Jarrah, in eastern Jerusalem, suggesting if he’s there, the cops would also have to show up and while they’re at it, protect the neighborhood Jews against Arab pogromists?
Well, last week, Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzhak Kroizer, who’s been serving in the IDF reserves for more than 100 days, sat under a big sign inside a building in south Lebanon: “Office of MK Kroizer,” and every living Israeli who has been in the country for the past three years got the reference. It was a pretty good joke.
The army’s response was to remove Kroizer from active reserve duty. The Army transferred Kroizer from combat duty to a reserve unit comprised of elected officials, thus ending his current reserve duty stint.
Kroizer tweeted on Saturday, “Yes. I was dismissed from reserve service. And do you know why? Because of an inquiry from the Haaretz newspaper (whose publisher last week called Hamas terrorists ‘freedom fighters’) why a photo of myself in Lebanon had been published.
“I’ve had the privilege of fighting for you for more than 100 days of reserve duty in the past year. I will continue to fight for you in the Israeli Knesset together with my Otzma Yehudit faction members. Thank you all for the support I am receiving.”
כן. הודחתי משירות מילואים.
ואתם יודעים למה?
בגלל שאילתא של עיתון הארץ (שהמו”ל שלהם בשבוע שעבר קרא למחבלי חמאס “לוחמי חופש”) מדוע פורסמה תמונה שלי מלבנון.
הייתה לי הזכות להילחם עבורכם עם יותר מ-100 ימי מילואים בשנה האחרונה. אמשיך להילחם עבורכם בכנסת ישראל יחד עם חבריי לסיעת עוצמה… pic.twitter.com/GtkdhrqvOm— יצחק קרויזר (@Yitzik_kroizer) November 2, 2024
The IDF Spokesperson’s Office issued a statement saying the spraying of the graffiti and the distribution of the image was “an action that does not meet an operational need on the battlefield,” and defines it as a deviation from the protocol. “The case was investigated and a decision has been made to terminate the subject’s reserve service,” a spokesman said.
The photo was posted on the Twitter account of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who wrote: “We are blessed with Jewish might because we have MK Kroizer. A fighter in the Knesset and also in Lebanon. Take care of yourself Itzik, we are waiting for you.”
National Camp Chairman MK Benny Gantz surprised everybody by stating that while the Kroizer incident “requires an investigation and perhaps also significant punishment,” his dismissal from active duty was a wrong move. He called on the IDF to reconsider.
Gantz said: “In these days when we lack fighters, and the fighting spirit is so important, the dismissal of an elected official who serves as an example and chooses to go out and fight, sends the wrong message.”
And you thought Benny Gantz didn’t have a sense of humor!
Update: The IDF returned MK Yitzhak Kroizer to active service in the reserves on Sunday.
צה”ל מתקפל: ח”כ קרויזר מוחזר לשירות מילואים פעיל ומקבל את ימי ההתרעננות המגיעים לו.
— עו”ד אברהם בלוך – כתב משפט (@avribloch) November 3, 2024
