Sunday, December 30, 2012

Bennett Has Me Mixed Up

I am mixed up.

First I saw this:

Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett went back on a comment he made a week ago in Nissim Mishal's Channel 2 show, saying he would ask to be exempted from orders to remove settlers from their homes were he in such a position, and flirted with the possibility of order refusal.
"It is an integral part of being a soldier to refuse orders on matters of conscience," Bennett said in an interview on Channel 2's "Mishal Cham" program.
"I would not call publicly to refuse orders," he added, but continued on to say, "When a black flag flies over an order, you don't carry it out. To expel people from this land is a horrendous thing. I will work with all my soul and with all my strength not to allow that to happen." In the IDF, soldiers are taught they they should refuse an order if it is patently illegal and immoral, such as targeting civilians.
On Sunday, however, at a "Meet the Candidates" event at IDC Herzliya, Bennett addressed the comment and expressed concern that his comments would give legitimization for soldiers to refuse orders.
"I am a major in reserve duty and I was bothered by the damaging impact of my words to young people who view me as a role model. I reached the conclusion that I don't have the right to say even that private comment about myself, because of its repercussions," Bennett said.
"Every combat soldier that gets an order, and it is not a lawful order, has to obey it, and this includes Naftali Bennett," he added.



Then I read this


Sources close to Bayit Yehudi chairman Naftali Bennett told Arutz Sheva that he was misquoted Sunday by IDF Radio.  The radio station's website quoted him as saying that “any IDF soldier who is given orders that are not clearly illegal and were handed down by the government… must follow those orders, and that includes Naftali Bennett.”
Sources near Bennett said that the quote in IDF Radio, which included a reference to the possible eviction of Jewish communities, was false.  Speaking at a political event in Herzliya Sunday, Bennett explained that some orders are obviously illegal and every soldier must decide if he will carry them out. He added that he explained his views on the matter when he was asked how he would handle such orders in the Channel 2 television interview ten days ago.

Can anyone explain why Bennett needed to bring the subject up?

And if asked, why he couldn't say simply 'I clarified my remarks and my intention and there is no need to to go over the same ground'? 

I wouldn't be surprised if the Bayit Yehudi begins to lose votes now, similar to what happened to the Likud/Yisrael Beiteinu.

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