MK Michael Ben-Ari (National Union) praised the officer who struck an anarchist in the face on Saturday for his action. “The IDF Deputy Brigade Commander deserves respect for doing what Bibi and Aharonovich lack the brains and guts to do,” he said – in a reference to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the Minister for Public Security Yitzchak Aharonovich.

“Only an iron fist must be used against the extreme leftists who poke out soldiers’ eyes,” he added. “There was a serious threat to the soldiers’ well-being and the Deputy Brigade Commander had no choice.”

“By the way, had it been a Jewish settler who was beaten. we would not hear the leftist hypocrites’ choir screaming. It turns out they do not care about human rights but about the rights of terrorists and supporters of Arabs.”

In the course of a leftist-Arab riot near Bil’in several years ago, IDF Cpl. Michael Schwartzman lost an eye. In another incident at Bil’in, Border Police First Sergeant Natan Yasis fell off of a rock terrace while chasing after rioters and was killed.

MK Zevulun Orlev (Jewish Home) said that he was “saddened to see the hostile reactions against a senior officer in the army on a national mission against provocateurs whose entire aim was to make the IDF and the State of Israel look bad. It is too bad also that public figures from the left wing join those who are carrying out a kangaroo court against a person who is devoting his life to our homeland, without an inquiry and without learning what happened.”

Yesha Council Chairman Danny Dayan said: “I recommend to the angry politicians from the left who have already sealed the fate of the Bik’a Deputy Brigade Commander – to cool down and stop pushing their nose into the military establishment. I do not understand their passion for crucifying a senior officer facing off with a bunch of Israel haters.”