Israel’s Ben-Gvir squabbles with military chief about ethics

An Israeli far-right politician set to take a key security post in Benjamin Netanyahu’s emerging government traded barbs on Wednesday with the military chief over the jailing of a soldier who had taunted leftist activists in the occupied West Bank.
Ultra-nationalist Jewish Power leader Itamar Ben-Gvir criticized the 10-day confinement handed down to a soldier who was filmed on Friday warning pro-Palestinian activists in the flashpoint city of Hebron: “Ben-Gvir will sort this place out.”
Ben-Gvir, to whom Netanyahu has promised the post of national security minister, with expanded powers over police in the West Bank, said on Twitter on Tuesday that the sentence was too harsh and weakened soldiers’ resolve.
He also appeared in a video together with the soldier’s father, demanding that the army review the punishment and drawing apparent criticism from Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi.