Maj. Gen. (res.) Ofer Winter addressed the incident in which a statue of Yasser Arafat was toppled in Jenin, as well as the decision to dismiss the reservist soldier who carried out the act.
“First of all," Winter said, “it’s not just one statue that should be toppled, but all of them. It should be declared clearly that the era of a Palestinian state is over."
He added that the imagery on the statue reflects what he described as the broader idea behind the Palestinian state concept. “If you look closely at the statue, you can see the entire Land of Israel depicted. That is the essence of the idea of a Palestinian state - the destruction of the State of Israel - and that dream must be shattered," he said.
Winter also addressed the dismissal of the reservist responsible for toppling the statue, arguing that such decisions should come from Israel’s political leadership rather than the military. “The decision should be made by politicians, and the army should carry it out," he said. “Unfortunately, the political leadership has never made such a decision."
At the same time, Winter criticized the soldier’s conduct on operational grounds. Drawing on his experience commanding combat troops, he said the action placed the soldier and others at risk.
“Look how he stands alone in the middle of a hostile Arab village in broad daylight," Winter said. “If he had taken a sniper’s bullet, what would we tell his parents? If a decision is made to demolish something, it should be done professionally with an armored bulldozer."
He concluded by stressing that operational decisions should not be driven by emotion. “Emotions should not be brought into an operation," he said. “Not every operational mistake should be wrapped in ideology. The political echelon should decide, and the army should carry it out - dismantling the memorials just as other memorials to martyrs in Judea and Samaria have been dismantled."
