It was just last week that Benjamin Netanyahu stood confidently before a joint session of the U.S. Congress and declared that Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza, and additional Iranian proxies on other fronts, "is not a clash of civilizations. It's a clash between barbarism and civilization."
"For the forces of civilization to triumph," the prime minister intoned emphatically, "America and Israel must stand together" – causing his audience to leap out of their seats in rapture.
But anyone watching the actions of the Israeli mob that violently invaded Beit Lid army base and Sde Teiman detention facility on Monday saw behavior much closer to barbarism than civilization.
The angry group of infiltrators who pushed through the gates of what are supposed to be secure military facilities included not only lawmakers but government ministers. They were demanding that nine reservists who had been detained – not arrested – in an investigation into the suspected abuse of a Palestinian prisoner be released.
"Heroic fighters must not be touched," they yelled. The reservists serving at Sde Teiman had been detained for questioning by the Military Police on the orders of the highest legal authority in the army, Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi.
The soldiers are suspected of aggravated abuse and forcible sodomy against the detainee, after he was hospitalized with what are reportedly severe injuries to an intimate body part, indicating horrific violation. The alleged abusive behavior of soldiers the protesters were so angrily demanding "not be touched" was, in fact, barbaric. It is also in line with the allegations of abuse at Sde Teiman that have been reported in outlets like Haaretz for months.
Horrifying treatment of the enemy during wartime, including extreme sexual abuse, is not unheard of, even in the United States – the country Netanyahu termed the "great citadel of democracy." Those who lived through the scandal of Abu Ghraib in 2004, when photographs were released to the media of the terrible abuse of Iraqi prisoners, will never forget the images of physical violence and humiliation (for which 12 soldiers were ultimately convicted).
At the time, some leading U.S. politicians tried to portray the offenders as rogue elements. But no one in any position of power or responsibility contended that the soldiers should not be subject to investigation – and then prosecution – of their alleged criminal acts. And certainly none led a popular uprising against the military prosecutors dealing with the cases.
The Israeli media has been full of somber commentators listing the ways this incident will cause real harm to the nation's security. They warn that from Hamas to Hezbollah to the ayatollahs in Tehran, the country's enemies must be watching and celebrating. Why should Yahya Sinwar be interested in a deal to end the Gaza war and return Israeli hostages when he can sit back and watch Israel tear itself apart from within, they ask?
As usual in times of trouble, Netanyahu is nowhere to be found. He issued a short, lukewarm statement calling for "an immediate calming of passions," noting that he "strongly condemns" the incident. However, he has not appeared on camera addressing the issue, let alone defend Military Advocate General Tomer-Yerushalmi or – heaven forbid – speak out strongly in defense of the rule of law.
Netanyahu can't have it both ways. He can't go to Washington and try to present Israel as an enlightened democracy defending itself (and the Western world) against brutal monsters, while at the same time tolerating ministers who don't believe that allegations of barbaric behavior against possible terrorists should be investigated and their perpetrators brought to justice – as one does in "civilization."