Even the least tolerant IDF officers found it difficult to defend the actions of the deputy commander of the Jordan Valley brigade on Sunday. More disturbing than the act itself a burst of violence that could become a criminal case was the message that it communicated: The IDF is a violent and aggressive army that exercises force against helpless, innocent people. Images like the ones in the video that were seen around the world on Sunday, and will continue to circulate, are the wet dream of any Israel hater. The pro-Palestinian activists who flew to Israel as part of a protest fly-in on Sunday could not have dreamed of a better turn of events a video that turns them into victims rather than lawbreakers. Even the demonstrators who diligently protest every Friday at the Palestinian villages of Bil'in and Na'alin habitually provoke the security forces stationed there, hoping that the cameras hone in on that one officer who ultimately loses his cool, providing the activists with that winning propaganda photo. The propaganda activists have had more than a few successes. The Nablus beating during the First Intifada (when a kibbutz resident photographed four IDF paratroopers beating a Palestinian stone thrower) prompted the wholesale distribution of cameras to Palestinians with one express goal: to document IDF violence (and settler violence), as well as undermine Israel's legitimacy. The Palestinians and their supporters know there is no real interest in photos of a rock or a Molotov cocktail being hurled at an IDF jeep or a settlers car, but an Israeli officer beating or abusing someone is always a hot commodity. The process of documentation was accelerated by technology, which turned every child with a touch-screen phone into a potential journalist. In an age when everything is exposed, the IDF takes into account that, whether in a Lebanese village or a Gaza refugee camp, its every move and every bullet are being documented. Strict guidelines on conduct in the age of documentation have been drummed into the heads of commanders-to-be for years, be it squad commanders or division commanders. Maybe Lt. Col. Shalom Eisner missed the relevant lessons. Perhaps he just didn't understand the material. Even in his questioning on Sunday he could not come up with a plausible explanation for his level of violence. His claim that he was physically and verbally attacked, even if true, does not justify his actions in an environment where provocations are to be expected. The IDF was wise to suspend Eisner. The military advocate-general was wise to order an internal investigation, the chief of general staff was wise to distance the IDF from Eisner's behavior the prime minister and the defense minister would be wise to echo that sentiment and declare that this is not our way, and make a clear distinction between themselves and the extreme Right, which has already hailed Eisner as a hero. Any intelligent person who saw the video on Sunday knows that this senior IDF officer will ultimately be discharged for his actions, but no less importantly, for his stupidity. Because the IDF's job is to win wars, including the war for public opinion, and the IDF lost that war on Sunday, big time. An army that wants to win cannot have an officer in its ranks who is responsible for such an embarrassing defeat.