I have a new, if belated, insight: While history is replete with examples of democracies being threatened by militaries, and of officers who chip away at the independent judiciary while demanding predatory emergency measures, in Israel, things are vice versa. Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot serve as the gatekeepers for the rule of law and for democracy; they serve as the necessary counterweight to Habayit Hayehudi leader Naftali Bennett and Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman and several backbenchers in the Likud (as well as far-right activist Baruch Marzel). President Reuven Rivlin joined the Eizenkot-Ya'alon axis on Monday. Now we need Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make a forceful statement as well. While Netanyahu has made the right comments, they were not crystal clear. The shooting incident in Hebron last week -- in which a neutralized terrorist was shot and killed -- is only a prop in the ongoing debate over what values a Jewish democracy should uphold. This debate is not just among radicals on the Left. The debate is being waged by true patriots, and the underlying question is: can terrorists be shot even if they pose no threat? The fact that Israel's defense establishment answered this question with a "no" is a badge of honor for Israel on the world stage. The detractors on the Right would have preferred Israel acted ugly and looked ugly. On Monday, I wrote that the suspected shooter's version of events was diametrically opposed to what truly unfolded. It has since transpired that he was warned that whatever he said could ultimately lead to a murder charge. The Military Advocate General has not charged him with murder yet, and it probably won't for now, but it made sure to warn him of this possible outcome, to protect him. Despite what his associates leaked about his interrogation, this warning was not a threat; it was simply a procedural step that was designed to ensure his legal rights were not infringed. Their accusations were simply false. The campaign against the knife-wielding terrorists is being waged responsibility, and successfully. Most of the stabbing attempts have failed and terrorists have been killed in droves. This has had Israel's enemies are rattled. It may be just a matter of time before terrorism fades away. Regardless, the Lieberman-Bennett-Marzel trio doesn't have much to offer, except firing Ya'alon. But what purpose would that serve? What would they do differently? Would they storm Nablus and destroy it? Would they turn Jenin into a pile of rubble? Such a light-headed approach would turn Israel into a legitimate target in the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign, as an entity that violates its international obligations. Their demagoguery has clouded their thinking. To protect a soldier who erred, Bennett et al. have championed a state of lawlessness. "Let every Hebrew mother know" (as the late Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion famously said) that the IDF has become, almost against its will, the defender of Israel's democracy and its humanity.
