MP Yitzhak Kroizer, a member of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, a faction chaired by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, was dismissed from the Israeli military reserve on Saturday after the internet broadcast, of a photo showing him opening a fictitious office in a home in southern Lebanon.
The photo, which was posted to social media on Friday, shows Kroizer surrounded by soldiers from his unit posing in front of spray-painted graffiti on a wall reading: “Congressman Kroizer’s Office.”
The Israeli army’s spokesperson unit commented on the lawmaker’s dismissal, saying that “the incident was investigated and it was decided to terminate service in the army reserve.” ‘individual concerned’.
Receive our daily edition for free by email so you don’t miss the best news. Free registration!
Ben Gvir defended Kroizer in a message published on X Saturday evening, writing: “Deputy Kroizer, you are the pride of Otzma Yehudit, and you are the pride of the people of Israel.”
“Thank you for the dozens of reserve days you have voluntarily completed over the past twelve months. Shame on the command of the Israeli army who fired you because of the publication of this photo,” added Ben Gvir in his publication.
Kroizer also posted a message on X, confirming his dismissal from the IDF and blaming a question that had been asked on the subject by the left-wing daily Haaretz.
MK Yitzhak Kroizer during a protest against UNRWA outside the agency’s offices in Jerusalem, February 5, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
“I had the privilege of fighting for you for more than a hundred days of reserve service over the past year. I will continue to fight for you in the Knesset, alongside my friends from the Otzma Yehudit faction,” the MK promised.
HaMahane HaMamlahti party chairman Benny Gantz commented on the incident in a post on He added that although he “fundamentally disagreed” with the far-right MP, he believed that firing an elected official who had volunteered to fight “sends the wrong message.”
You are one of our loyal readers
We are glad you read X articles from Times of Israël last month.
This is why we created the Times of Israeleleven years ago (nine years for the French version): offering informed readers like you unique information on Israel and the Jewish world.
Today we have a favor to ask you. Unlike other media outlets, our website is accessible to everyone. But the journalism work we do comes at a price, so we ask readers who care about our work to support us by joining the ToI community.
With the amount of your choice, you can help us provide quality journalism while benefiting from reading the Times of Israël without advertisements.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, editor-in-chief and founder of The Times of Israel
Join the Times of Israel community Join the Times of Israel community Already a member? Log in to no longer see this message
Canada
