Photo by
Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS-IL on 15 September, 2024
Israeli Lawmaker Dismissed From Army Reserve Over Social Media Photo
Jerusalem, 3 November, 2024 (TPS) -- Israeli Knesset member Yitzhak Kroizer was dismissed from active army reserve duty over a photo that was circulated on social media, the lawmaker confirmed on Saturday night.
The photo in question showed Kroizer and other soldiers of his unit inside a house in southern Lebanon. Spray painted in Hebrew on a wall behind them were the words, “Office of MK Kroizer.”
Kroizer, a member of the Otzma Yehudit party, tweeted on Saturday, “I was dismissed from reserve service. And you know why? Because of an inquiry by Haaretz newspaper (whose publisher last week called Hamas terrorists “freedom fighters”) about a photo of me from Lebanon was published.”
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed to the Haaretz daily that Kroizer was dropped from reserved duty, describing the photo as “an action that does not serve an operational need on the battlefield” that violated protocol.
Members of the Knesset are generally prohibited from reserve duty, though approval can be granted in exceptional cases. The 39-year-old Kroizer, a resident of the Golan community of Natur, was approved to serve in the 228th “Alon” Infantry Brigade.
Kroizer said he did not write the graffiti or share the photo on social media himself.
In response, Otzma Yehudit chairman and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir shared the image, tweeting, “Shame and shame on the IDF command who fired you because of the publication of this photo.”
After the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, Hezbollah began firing rockets and launching drones at northern Israel communities daily. More than 68,000 residents of northern Israel are displaced from their homes. Hezbollah leaders have repeatedly said they would continue the attacks to prevent Israelis from returning to their homes.
According to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War, the terror group is forbidden from operating in southern Lebanon.
