Will the IDF prosecute Hadar Goldin's comrades?
The IDF has decided to prosecute a number of reservists, former teammates of the late Hadar Goldin in the Givati reconnaissance battalion, over their criticism of Israel's failure to secure the return of Goldin's body, Channel 12 News reported. According to the report, these soldiers served with Goldin during Operation Protective Edge and witnessed the attack in which Goldin was murdered and captured by Hamas terrorists violating a humanitarian ceasefire. Despite the fact that the soldiers are reservists who completed their service years ago, the IDF decided to prosecute them for being interviewed, for criticizing the government's policy and for demand that the prime minister act to return the bodies of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul. In an interview broadcast last night on Channel 12 News, Gal Schwartz, the Givati Reconnaissance Commander, said that during Operation Protective Edge, "We were right in front of Rafah, before entering the tunnel, on Thursday, August 1, 2014. Goldin was here, we could have walked over and gotten him." "From that Friday that Hadar was abducted the whole team actually stayed there, at the site of the event. Seven years passed, but the team is still there. And we go back to the same gathering areas, where we saw Hadar for the last time, where we said goodbye to him last time, and that's crap," he added. He said, "Seven years - and no one has done anything but miss opportunities. Forget about it." He added: "I expect that now there is a new Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, whom we have met several times - that he will just do it. No excuses. I do not care if he is one day in office, two days in office, or two weeks in office - he knows very well what to do. He only has to decide that he will do it, he has to decide that it's important enough to him." Attorney Oded Saborai, who represents the Goldin family, said that "it is unfortunate that the IDF intends to burden its comrades-in-arms - combat reservists who contribute their share to national security - whose whole 'sin' is expressing their pain in front of the general public. Disciplining them for being interviewed without the approval of the IDF Spokesman, if that does happen, would be a demonstration of poor judgment, and it would be better if it was avoided by commanders who would consider matters in their broad context."