Israeli lawmaker dismissed from combat service over Lebanon photo
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Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir defended the lawmaker, describing him as a source of "pride" for "Israel".
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Israeli Knesset Member Yitzhak Kroizer with Israeli soldiers in a house in southern Lebanon, on November 1, 2024 (Social media)
Israeli Knesset member Yitzhak Kroizer from the Otzma Yehudit party was dismissed from active reserve service after a photo of him along with other soldiers in a house in southern Lebanon surfaced featuring graffiti that read; "Office of MK Kroizer" in the background, according to Israeli media.
As a result, the Israeli occupation military reallocated Kroizer from his combat role to a reserve unit for public officials, effectively ending his current reserve service.
Israeli media reported that the Israeli military stated that Knesset members are prohibited from participating in reserve duty except in exceptional circumstances, and Kroizer's request to serve had been granted.
In an attempt to whitewash its image amid its ongoing war on Lebanon, the Israeli military said it regards the graffiti and the distribution of the photo as "an action that does not fulfill any operational need on the battlefield."
"The incident was investigated, and it was decided to end the reserve service of the individual in question," commented the Israeli military's spokespersons unit on Kroizer's dismissal.
The photo was shared on X by Israeli occupation Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who commented, "We're fortunate in Otzma Yehudit to have MK Kroizer. A fighter in the Knesset and in Lebanon. Stay safe, Itzik, we're waiting for you."
ח"כ קרויזר, אתה גאווה לעוצמה יהודית, ואתה גאווה לעם ישראל. תודה לך על עשרות ימי המילואים שהתנדבת בשנה האחרונה. בושה וחרפה לפיקוד צה"ל שהדיח אותך בגלל פרסום התמונה הזו - בעקבות שאילתה שקיבלו מעיתון הארץ. שהמו"ל שלהם קרא רק בשבוע שעבר למחבלי חמאס "לוחמי חופש".
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) November 2, 2024
יש בצה"ל אנשים שכנראה… pic.twitter.com/a2MqbgYdl8
But shortly after the Israeli military's decision against Kroizer, Ben-Gvir reshared the photo and wrote, "MK Kroizer, you are the pride of Otzma Yehudit, and you are the pride of the people of Israel."
"Thank you for the dozens of reserve days you volunteered in the past year. Shame on the IDF command who fired you because of the publication of this photo."
ח"כ קרויזר, אתה גאווה לעוצמה יהודית, ואתה גאווה לעם ישראל. תודה לך על עשרות ימי המילואים שהתנדבת בשנה האחרונה. בושה וחרפה לפיקוד צה"ל שהדיח אותך בגלל פרסום התמונה הזו - בעקבות שאילתה שקיבלו מעיתון הארץ. שהמו"ל שלהם קרא רק בשבוע שעבר למחבלי חמאס "לוחמי חופש".
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) November 2, 2024
יש בצה"ל אנשים שכנראה… pic.twitter.com/a2MqbgYdl8
Kroizer also took to X to confirm his dismissal, attributing it to an inquiry from the Haaretz daily newspaper. Speaking to Army Radio on Sunday morning, he claimed that he neither wrote the graffiti nor circulated the photograph.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
