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Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Arabs freak out over video of IDF soldiers dancing at Druze wedding (UPDATE - Hebron party?) (X3)

A rumor was started (apparently on Facebook) that this video shows IDF soldiers dancing at a wedding near Hebron with Palestinian Arabs:



In fact, the YouTube caption says that this was a Druze wedding inside the Green Line. The Druze, of course, join the IDF so these may have been  Jewish or Druze soldiers. (It doesn't appear to be a Muslim wedding at all.)

But the rumors are out there that this was a Palestinian Arab event, with comments from the Arab world that "Arabs are killing each other and here Jews and Palestinians are dancing."

(h/t eliyahud)

UPDATE: Times of Israel reports that it really was a party in Hebron, and it gets worse:

The IDF may punish a group of soldiers for joining a Palestinian party in Hebron after a video emerged of the infantrymen in full gear dancing to PSY’s Gangnam Style with their Palestinian hosts.

While on patrol in the city, according to a Channel 2 report aired Wednesday night, the Givati Brigade soldiers — armed and in uniform — entered the party and were greeted festively, even being hoisted on the shoulders of the party-goers as they all danced.

The party was attended by members of the Jaabari clan, whose male members are known to members of the terror group Hamas, according to the report.

“This is an incident of utmost severity,” the IDF said in a statement. “The soldiers have been called in for questioning, and the commanders of the brigade and the battalion are investigating. The soldiers [in question] will be dealt with appropriately.”
JPost has the story as well. Not sure where the YouTube caption saying these were Druze came from.

This is too bizarre. If this report is true and not a mangled version of reality, it is incomprehensibly stupid for IDF soldiers to expose themselves in a situation like that, and equally incomprehensible that an entire room full of young Arab men would cheer IDF soldiers under any circumstance.

There must be more to this story. At least, there had better be.

If true, the Arab reaction is still funny.

(h/t Brian)

UPDATE 2: Gidon reminds me that the Jabari family in Hebron is known as being very pro-Israel and the Jews of Hebron know and respect the clan's leader. See this story.  So the association with Hamas might be inaccurate, and (while this would still be a break of military protocol) this might actually be a decent expression of co-existence.

UPDATE 3: David Ha'Ivri, who lives in the territories, writes in the comments:
I know for a fact that Sheikh Jabari is considering suing channel 2 for defaming his clan as Hamas supporters. They do not support PLO or Hamas.