Outgoing IDF commander condemns settler violence, 'shames me as a Jew'

Outgoing IDF Binyamin Brigade Commander Lt.- Col. Eliav Elbaz condemned violence by extreme elements in the settler community during a military change of command ceremony on Wednesday night.

“On the fringes of the community, there grew and developed Jewish civilians who behave in a criminal, unethical manner and shame me as a Jew,” Elbaz said during his speech.

Brig.-Gen. Avi Blot, head of the Israel Defense Force’s West Bank division, said the IDF would continue to fight terror to ensure civilian safety, but would not “stand silent” in the face of settler violence.

“The IDF will not stand silent when lawbreakers enter villages, set fire to property and risk lives," Blot said, referring to the recent wave of settler violence in Judea and Samaria.

"For actions like these, we say loud and clear: This is unethical, not Jewish, it does not contribute to security and last week showed it is also dangerous."

Blot also praised Elbaz’s service in the face of opposition, citing a June incident when the general was heckled for visiting a terror victim from the Eli shooting.

“The fact that you, Elbaz, had to endure vilification by people who do not represent the community, as you arrived to pay condolences, is outrageous and worthy of condemnation,” he stated.

“You entered people's hearts here, and you made friends here for life. At the same time, you knew in your wisdom, to stand firm,” Blot told Elbaz.

Elbaz called the last two years of his service “two of the longest and most intense.”

He said every terror attack personally felt to him like "a punch in the stomach to the soul of the commander to whom the lives of the residents in his sector are entrusted.”