The death of Rabbi Dan Mertzbach of Otniel due to IDF fire around 05:00 on Friday marks the second accidental death under the command of Brigadier General Hagai Mordechai.
Rabbi Mertzbach's vehicle was identified by an IDF situation room in Beit Hagai, which noted it was moving quickly towards an impromptu security check-point with only its emergency flashers on and no headlights.
IDF soldiers signaled the vehicle to stop, but were unheeded, leading one to fire eight rounds - killing Mertzbach and injuring two women in the car. According to reports the soldiers were in the middle of setting up the checkpoint, and there was no eye contact between Rabbi Mertzbach and the soldier who opened fire.
The soldier reportedly feared for his life as the vehicle raced toward him. Investigators are still investigating the incident, which occured in a place where soldiers have been injured and killed in the past. Their final evaluation of the incident is still pending.
Rabbi Mertzbach was a relative of Judah Ben-Joseph, who was also killed by the IDF fire in a similar incident in 2003. Ben Yosef and army officer Yoav Doron, were fired upon during an IDF ambush when they were mistaken for terrorists. That shooting occurred during Mordechai's tenure as brigade commander.
Today, Mordechai, the Brigadier General heading the Judea and Samaria Division, finds himself having to cope with a repeat of that tragedy on his watch. The previous shooting resulted in years of debriefing and civil suits for Mordechai and the IDF - and harmed relations with residents living in Mordechai's command zone.
After the 2003 incident, then IDF chief of staff Moshe Ya'alon, decided to cancel the appointment of Mordechai as commander of the Paratrooper Brigade. Mordechai's advancement was arrested for a number of years, but he continued to serve as the Hevron brigade commander where IDF commanders praised him for "significant achievements" in the sector.
Mordechai has served as the commander of the paratrooper brigades, battalion and commando units, the elite Egoz reconnaissance unit, the Hevron brigade, and the Pillar of Fire Formation.
His appointment as the commander of the Judea and Samaria Division has raised concerns among residents who fear he may continue the policies of his controversial predecessor, Brigadier General Nitzan Alon, whose tenure was marked by policies described as both discriminatory and partisan by the public he served.
Brig. Gen. Mordechai's handling of the tragic death of Rabbi Mertzbach, however, will prove critical in establishing the tone of his command – and the trust of the residents of Judea and Samaria.
Rabbi Mertzbach is survived by five children and 10 grandchildren.
Oh, how easy: now blame it on the "hostilities": really, hostilities? BY WHOM , I ask you? WHOSE HOSTILITIES are we talking about here? This time too you want to stick the assassination on somebody else??
Review this post as an important reference, in case you don't understand what I am talking about:
http://israeltruthtimes.blogspot.com/2011/04/pointing-finger-at-amalek-within-israel.html
And this one too as an addendum:
http://israeltruthtimes.blogspot.com/2011/04/this-is-my-response-to-anonymous.html
Rabbi Mertzbach to be Recognized as Hostilities Victim
Cheshvan 14, 5772, 11/11/11 07:49
The Defense Ministry said, Friday, that it would recognize Rabbi Dan Mertzbach of Otniel as a victim of hostilities.
Rabbi Mertzbach was killed and two others in his car were wounded when an Israeli soldier fired into their vehicle after they failed to respond to signals to stop at an impromptu roadblock near the Ari/Kvasim Junction of Highway 60. The roadblock was set up in response to reports of a suspicious vehicle in the area, and the army says the soldier fired out of fear for his life.
Otniel Resident Dead in Shooting Incident on Highway 60
60-year-old Rabbi Dan Mertzbach killed after IDF troops accidentally fire shots at an Israeli vehicle.
Gavriel Queenann & Elad BenariRabbi Dan Mertzbach, 55-year-old rabbi of the community of Otniel, was killed around 05:00 on Friday morning in a shooting incident in which IDF troops accidentally fired shots at an Israeli vehicle.
An army situation room in Beit Chagai identified a vehicle moving slowly with only its emergency flashers on and informed the unit near the Ari/Kvasim Junction. A short time later the victims' vehicle approached quickly and without lights on.
The soldiers signalled the vehicle to stop and fired eight shots when it didn't. The vehicle travelled about 400 meters before it stopped.
According to reports the soldiers were still in the process of setting up the check point and there was no eye contact between Rabbi Mertzbach and the soldier who open fired.
Two women in the car were wounded, one moderately and one lightly. They were taken to the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem. One of the women lost her husband in a terrorist attack on the same road about 10 years ago.
A soldier involved in the incident was lightly injured when hit by a passing Arab truck. He was taken to Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva.
Interviewed by Arutz Sheva's Hebrew service, Otniel spokesman Yehuda Glick said Rabbi Mertzbach was a man of G-d 24 hours a day, noting that he served as the rabbi of a number of communities in the area. Glick called the rabbi the soul of the community, adding that Rabbi Mertzbach planned Otniel's synagogue, built its beit midrash (study hall) and brought in many rabbis to teach there.
He said many people in the community were crying for a father who took many of them under his wing. He is survived by a wife, five children, and 10 grandchildren.
Notice that his killers were promptly released, of course.
For a motive to the killings: it's simple: THE TEMPLE MOUNT and ERETZ YISRAEL.The powers that be in Israel, Shimon Peres, Ehud Barak, Dorit Beinisch, and co, supervised by their bosses in Rome, will have none of it.