IDF Spokesperson General Motti Almoz on Wednesday accused the anti-Israel NGO B’Tselem of staging a confrontation between their activist and an IDF officer near the village of Madama in Judea and Samaria, for the purpose of taping and posting it on YouTube.
The text accompanying the B’tselem-edited video online describes the event as just another care free day in which three Arab villagers had gone out to enjoy the fresh air in their fields when they ran into brutal, Zionist soldiers who attacked them for no reason, shot one of them, who happened to be employed by B’Tselem and shooting a video of the incident, and detained them for six days.
The reader is invited to watch the full online version of the video as posted by B’Tselem, and see that the incident appears like a routine arrest of a person for refusing to obey a direct instruction from a law and order officer, said instruction being to go home with his B’Tselem-issued camera. It is clear from the tape that the officer was anticipating that the presence of the camera on the local road would become the focal point of a quickly gathered rally, which could escalate into a riot – a daily occurrence in the Arab villages of Judea and Samaria.
Almoz posted the following response on his Facebook page:
“To all who lie in order to besmirch our reputation, peace be upon you.
“We do not always respond [to your attacks], because sometimes all you want is a free advertising campaign, even through a provocation, deciding that a film or a statement are more important than the truth.
“Over the past week, images of an IDF officer during operational activity in the area of the Yitzhar community have been distributed. IDF commanders and soldiers spend nights and days protecting the citizens of Israel and will continue to do so.
“There is a fundamental difference between photographing an event while it is happening and creating an event by arriving in the field with a camera. You often choose the second option and cause friction that would not have been created otherwise. The officer appearing in the video acted as was expected of him, with the full backing of his commanders.
“You will continue to make films as if in the name of freedom of expression, despite the fact that the expression is detached from reality, and we will continue to protect the citizens of the State of Israel and ensure the safety of its citizens without involving the IDF in political debates.”