Israeli Minister Speaks Out Against Releasing Terrorists

During a memorial for Israel’s heroic fallen soldier Lt. Col. Emmanuel Moreno, Naftali Bennett reaffirmed his opposition to freeing terrorists.

At the seventh memorial of his dear friend, Lt. Col. Emmanuel Moreno, who was killed in 2006 during Israel’s Second Lebanon War, Israeli Economy Minister Naftali Bennett spoke out against releasing Palestinian terrorists to re-start peace negotiations. “Your image is with me in every step I take, and you remind me every day that we can fight for our home while remaining loyal to the Torah,” said Bennett. “The decision to release terrorist killers is contrary to all the values we were taught in the IDF – values which say that there are no compromises in the fight against murderous terrorism.”

He added, “These days we must find strong mental strength against the crises and stand firm against foreign officials who want us to deny Jewish history and values and tear down communities. Your light and your values, Emanuel, accompany me and live within me. The feelings over the loss of leadership and your death were what caused me to enter public life. You taught us about love for the Land of Israel and its people, and what insistence on the truth, even when it’s not popular, is all about.”

These recent comments by Bennett come in the wake of the Israeli government deciding to free 104 Palestinian terrorists in order to jump-start peace negotiations. At the time, Bennett and his Bayit Ha-Yehudi Party voted against releasing Palestinian terrorists, emphasizing, “Terrorists should be killed, not released. We are teaching the world that with us, everything is up for trade. This is certainly no way to negotiate.”

THE COLONEL THAT INSPIRED BENNETT

Lt. Col. Emmanuel Moreno, born in France and raised in Jerusalem, served the State of Israel with honor in the Sayeret Matkal Unit of the Israel Defense Forces for 16 years. “During his service Emmanuel became the fighter who took part in the greatest number of operations in the unit’s history,” a comrade says. “On more than one occasion, his levelheadedness and courage made the difference between failure and yet another success story that shall remain classified. The squad commander once compared him to ancient Israel’s great warrior ‘Bar Kochba,’ because we had not seen a fighter like him since.” He served in such a secretive position that his photo has not been released to the public to date.

On top of his exceptional bravery, Moreno was very imaginative in his specialty, his comrades say. “He changed the reality at the unit and introduced a new, revolutionary way,” says one comrade. “He had no fear and never feared entanglements in the field. He knew that even in such cases he will find a solution. We don’t remember ever having a person like that in the unit, with such devotion, who was willing to go all the way like that.” Unfortunately, at the age of 35, he perished while fighting for the State of Israel. His fate moved his friend, Naftali Bennett, to oppose freeing terrorists under any conditions.

Watch this Memorial Day video of Minister Bennett honoring the memory of Israeli hero Emmanuel Moreno:

By Rachel Avraham, staff writer for United With Israel