It’s been close to three years since Sgt. Chananel Dayan, an exemplary IDF soldier, refused to shake hands with then IDF Chief Dan Halutz at a Yom HaAtzma’ut Day ceremony during which soldiers were cited for excellence. Dayan was one of the soldiers given a citation by the chief of staff. As a result of his actions, Dayan was removed from his unit and he was targeted by the mainstream press and electronic media, dragged through the mud for his insolence, refusing to shake the hand of the chief of staff of Israel’s military.
For Chananel, it was the high-ranking officer and his actions that represented the uprooting of the Jewish communities of Gaza and Northern Shomron, and for him, he remains unwilling to forgive.
The incident was picked up by the media around the world, perhaps adding to the embarrassment of Halutz and the IDF.
In an interview with the daily Ma’ariv today, Dayan explains that he saluted the IDF commander, which he was required to do, but explained after the incident a handshake is not military protocol and therefore, he did not feel compelled to do so. “I had a lot of family living in Gush Katif and at that moment, the memories came back. I did salute because I respect the rank but I was simply unable to shake his hand. When he extended his hand I responded, ‘Commander, I am unable to shake hands. I request that we do not. He mumbled some sort of criticism and the ceremony continued’. The chief of staff gave me the pin and [President] Katsav the certificate. Everything was fine. Major-General [Elazar] Stern made the scene following the ceremony. Stern [who was Chief of IDF Personnel Branch] demanded I apologize. I told him I cannot.”
As a result of the storm from Stern, the soldier was hailed a hero by the right-wing and dragged through the mud by the political left.
Two days after the incident Dayan was removed from the Tank Corps 118th Battalion and instructed to report to Stern, who once again demanded an apology. The young soldier explained the incident was not premeditated, and when Halutz extended his hand, he realized he cannot shake it. He once again respectfully refused to apologize. “I explained that I planned to shake the commander’s hand, but in actuality, I was unable to do so. I also planned to give him the letter I wrote, telling how it is difficult to continue serving in the IDF following the expulsion, but at the end, I am doing so, having volunteered for an additional eight months of service.”
After the ceremony, Dayan showed Stern the letter, and he announced he is confiscating it. Mysteriously, the letter made its way to popular left-wing TV talk show host Yair Lapid, who admitted receiving the letter from Stern in court.
In response to a scathing article by Lapid, Dayan decided to file a libel suit. Lapid was called upon by the court to produce documentation to back the scandalous terms used to describe the exemplary soldier. To the surprise of the court, Lapid produced letters from a number of commanders, as well as classified information pertaining to Dayan’s family, stating his father died when the soldier was a young boy, the cause of death, and the transcript of a shimua hearing conducted by Stern, in addition to other documentation.
Lapid once again admitted receiving the information from his friend, Major-General Stern. This prompted Dayan to file a civil suit against the senior officer, turning to attorney Yahel Merchavi. Merchavi explained the senior officer exceeded his authority by giving over documents and information without just cause, with the intention of further damaging the young soldier’s reputation and to cause him additional grief. Merchavi also maintained Stern was attempting to disqualify Dayan from receiving additional benefits given to exemplary soldiers.
On Wednesday, an agreement was announced by which Stern will pay Dayan damages in the amount of NIS 31,500, which serves as an admission by Stern that he acted without authority by handing documents and information to Lapid.
Merchavi released a statement that his client was being gracious by accepting the modest settlement and permitting the case to be closed, adding he hopes in the future, senior officials will act increasingly vigilant regarding their position and their authority and exhibit the proper modicum of respect for others.
A number of weeks after the incident, the Second Lebanon War broke out and despite have been removed from service, Dayan reported for duty and was a combatant in the war. Following the war, he completed his service. Today, he lives in a rented apartment in Ramat Gan and is working towards a bachelor’s degree in social work. He has since filed a case in the Jerusalem Small Claims Court against the LIBI Soldiers Welfare Fund, which has still not given him his NIS 1,000 bonus awarded to exemplary soldiers.
“Stern expended so much energy against me, to take me down, to embarrass me, to prevent LIBI from giving me my grant, passing information to Yair Lapid. What shocked me the most was the total invasion of privacy. This is proof how he sought an opportunity to ruin our camp [reference to nationalistic camp]. He played a major role in the expulsion. I love the state and the IDF but regarding the expulsion, I will never forget and never forgive” states Dayan today.
When asked about his political activities he stated he remains apolitical. When asked about the upcoming election, Dayan stated he intends to vote Ichud Leumi.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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5 Responses
Kol HaKavod to this brave yong man for standing up to to Israel’s leftist establishment. How “general” stern has the chutzpah to wear a kipah and consider himself “dati” I do not understand when he has defied more mitzvot than I can count in his support of the expulsion of Jews from parts of Eretz Yisrael (consequently forcing the exhumation of Jews buried there as well)and in his smearing, slandering, libeling, and causing untold grief to this heroic young man and his family. I can clearly remember how stern caused a riot showing up at the Kotel one Shabbas about 2 years ago. The spontaneous protest against him had olmert’s polizei beating, choking, and breaking heads of yeshiva bochrim and others who dared to disrespect him.
Mi keamcha yisroel -as required the torah, even the lowly and get justice against the mighty
To AynOd milvado (#1).
This entire incident is irrelevant. Your mention of Stern’s chutzpah and definacre of mitzvos misses the point. The whole medinah is a chutzpah and in defiance of torah and mitzvos. That is what should concern you, not these “klein kepidiga” stories.
To glatta_kup — the government is indeed in defiance of Torah, but the “medinah” doesn’t HAVE to be. As offensive as the story I told about stern is, and there are certainly many others like that, I could also tell over MANY, MANY stories of Kidush HaSh-m by individuals and groups in Israel. Stories of people who are exactly what HaSh-m wants Jews to be, people and groups who are not only shomer Torah u’mitzvos but are TRULY mosair nefesh for HaSh-m and for klal Yisrael. As I said, the government is undoubtedly a DISGRACE and a chilul HaShem, but the country has the POTENTIAL to be a Kidush HaSh-m. If it didn’t have that potential, HaSh-m would never have allowed it to come into being. If just 100,000 frum Jews would, instead of putting down the “medina” get up out of galus and move to Eretz Yisrael, we could have a Torahdi’ge “medina” that would give nachas to HaKadosh Baruch Hu!
to # 4 – thank you for commenting. A couple of points:
1)Even if we put aside the issue of “gimel shavuos” which excludes any kind of gevernment before moshiach, I do not understand what makes you think (unless you had a ruach hakodesh relevation) thatbb 100,000 frum jews coming to E.Y might result in the dismantling of the entire knesset, its laws, etc etc, and replace it by rule of da’as torah since any other form medina is not torah’dige.
2) “If it (the medinah) didnt have that potential, Hashem would never have allowed it to come into being”. Is that again your ruach hakodesh talking? Klal Yisroel has suffered throughout the ages from nations. How do you understand why hashem allowed Bavel, Rome, Spain, Nazi germany, Russia, etc to come into being?
3) Your time stamp is Friday 4:41 PM which was about 20 minutes before hadlakos neiros EST. Hopefully you are in more western time zone, because (with all due respect to YWN) otherwise I think 40 minutes before hadlakos neiros there are more productive le’chovod shabbos activities than perusing YWN.
Kol Tuv