Q&A: Ignoring the Severe Distortions in the Elor Azaria Affair
Ignoring the Severe Distortions in the Elor Azaria Affair
Question
Hello Rabbi Michael Abraham,
There is a public tendency to ignore the severe distortions in this case— in my opinion, because of a general unwillingness to deal with the implications, and because of the troubling picture that emerges.
Have you read Moshe Ifargan’s series of articles?
http://mida.org.il/?s=אלאור+אזריה
And there is still more to add to the topic beyond what is written there.
I would be glad to hear your opinion on the many issues raised there regarding the spirit in the army that emerges from this case.
Thank you very much for enlightening us with your Torah and your words.
Answer
It is difficult for me to get into the details right now. A priori, I tend to think that the military court is in the right, but of course I cannot determine that with certainty and without studying the case, the details, and the ruling.
I already wrote my view of the case at the principled level in the first column on the site:
https://mikyab.net/%D7%A2%D7%9C-%D7%97%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%91%D7%94-%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%9B%D7%91%D7%AA-%D7%95%D7%A2%D7%A8%D7%91%D7%95%D7%91-%D7%91%D7%99%D7%9F-%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%99-%D7%93%D7%99%D7%95%D7%9F/
That was written two years ago, but in my opinion the principles are there.
When you get down to the details, there is no escaping the conclusion that there was a moral, professional, and legal distortion here on the part of the IDF. That is indeed a harsh statement, but the facts speak for themselves.
I’m attaching here a short video that tries to present the broader picture, as opposed to the few seconds of the B’Tselem video that caused everyone to form an opinion (unfortunately, most of all):
The talk about “illusory correlations” is correct in many cases, but in this case, in light of the facts, that is not the story..