Soldier Refuses to Shake Halutz’s Hand
Excerpts;
Independence Day embarrassment: Staff Sgt. Hananel Dayan of the Armored Corps refused to shake the hand of Chief of Staff Dan Halutz during a ceremony honoring 120 outstanding IDF soldiers held at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
The soldier cited the fact that his family was evacuated from Gaza during last summer’s disengagement as the reason for his refusal to acknowledge the army chief’s gesture.
IDF officials said they view the incident with severity as it constitutes political protest; the army will consider taking measures against the soldier, they added.
Dayan’s mother said that ahead of the ceremony, her son had debated whether or not to attend, and added that the snub wasn’t out of spite.
Soldier Refuses to Shake Halutz’s Hand
Excerpts;
President Moshe Katsav rebuked a soldier at Beit Hanassi on Wednesday during a reception for outstanding soldiers and rescued what was becoming an awkward incident. The soldier, Cpl. Hananel Megged, who until a few months ago lived with his family in Gush Katif, refused to shake Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz’s hand.
Megged said he would not shake the hand of someone responsible for the eviction of Jews.
“I saw the bulldozers and my grandfather’s [Gaza] house before me,” said Megged, who now lives in Psagot. His grandfather died shortly after the pullout.
Following the incident, an IDF spokesman said Megged’s certificate of excellence might be revoked.
With the incident settled, the spirit of the ceremony prevailed.
Excellence, said Halutz, is not something to be taken for granted. It is based on education and values. The 120 outstanding soldiers, who each received a scholarship worth $1,000 from the Soldiers Welfare Association, did more than what was expected of them, said Halutz, “because they believe in giving of their utmost.”
Some of the honorees came from long established Israeli families. Others were more recent arrivals with Russian, South American and Ethiopian names. There were also representatives of the Beduin and Druse communities and a good mix of Ashkenazi and Sephardi backgrounds, indicating that the Israeli melting pot is still gathering in Jews from around the world.
Soldier Who Snubbed Halutz Praised
Commentary;
$1,000 — that’s a pretty cheap and insulting bribe to someone for a hanshake with the very man who expelled your loved ones. And the case is roughly equivalent to the victim of attack shaking the hand of the attacker after the victim has been terribly brutalized.
And then to threaten the soldier with discipline for sticking to his principles and not shaking the expeller’s hand — despicable, contemptable and comparable with how the Jews were treated in Eastern Europe for hundreds of years. Katsav and Halutz: Boosha, for shame!! MB
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