Division commander says lieutenant colonel who struck Danish pro- Palestinian activist with rifle paid heavily for ´professional error´

A senior IDF officer said this week that Lt. Col. Shalom Eisner, who was caught on tape striking a Danish activist with a rifle, made a severe professional error, but his conduct did not constitute an ideological failure.

Speaking to yeshiva students in the settlement of Efrat, Brigadier- General Tamir Hayman, who commands over the 36th Armor Division of the Northern Command, said Eisner should not have resorted to violence during the confrontation with pro-Palestinian activists.

"The goal was not to give these strange people a stage, but to prevent them from tattooing the delegitimization of the State of Israel and not allowing their nonsense to seep into our agenda," he said.

"That is their real goal, not blocking some road in the Jordan Valley."

Makor Rishon quoted Hayman as telling the students, "People pay for making professional errors, and (Eisner) paid a heavy price. Was it an ideological failure? Many senior officials will say that it was, but I do not think so."

The officer told the students that Eisner is a "very moral person," adding "I´m certain he will remain in the army."

Eisner has been suspended from his post, and IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz said he regarded the incident with the utmost severity. (Copyright 2012 © Yedioth Internet 05/04/12)