After the opponents of the legal reform, including soldiers from the Yom Kippur War, stole a military tank from the Tel Saki Battle Memorial in the Golan Heights to use it in a protest convoy, other veterans of the war attacked them for crossing a red line. The former head of the Ashkelon Beach Council, Yair Farjon, who himself fought at Tel Saki in the Yom Kippur War and was seriously injured in the battle, criticized them sharply.
In a conversation with reporters from “Makor Rishon”, Farjon, a member of the "Tel Saki" association, says that the act was a step too far: "You don't need to use the tank of the Hill, that's not the way. Bringing a tank to Jerusalem is crossing a line, not contributing." Farjon makes it clear that he is in favor of the protest and supports the demonstrations, but sets a clear limit. "I understand the demonstration and the demonstrators, I would also go to the demonstration, but I would not bring a tank."
..that was in the Yom Kippur war to use in their protest. I mean who does that? Who steals a tank for a protest? This is just mental, they really have lost the plot.
— Documenting Israel (@israelmuse) February 16, 2023
They were caught and the tank was returned this evening to it's location. Follow that mental ideology? Never! pic.twitter.com/ocFCQycEXv
Farjon, who was seriously wounded in the battle on Tel Saki in the first days of the Yom Kippur War, a tough and persistent battle during which 14 of his comrades were killed, managed to survive in the territory occupied by the Syrians when he hid with several other fighters for three days. He and his friends founded the Tel Saki association on the spot.
As for the inclusion of a symbol of the Israel Defense Forces in the demonstration, he asserts: "The demonstration is civilian and there is no need to put any military symbol on it, it does not belong to the IDF, it is out of bounds. The demonstration should only be with the Israeli flag. I believe that the tank should not have been touched. Certainly when it comes to a commemoration site, but more importantly to me, we don't need to bring a tank to Jerusalem as a demonstration, it's unnecessary and a mistake."
In Israel, former Yom Kippur War soldiers stole a tank that was to be displayed at upcoming protests against judicial reform. They were arrested #israel #yomkippur
— Agencia AJN (@AgenciaAJN) February 16, 2023
See more: https://t.co/FDrBzhtVu8 pic.twitter.com/QR3LQQ3DxQ
The group of demonstrators, some of whom were Yom Kippur war veterans, stole the tank with a dedicated tow truck belonging to one of the participants and planned to bring it in a protest convoy to Jerusalem. A banner was pasted on the tank saying: "The 1973 Yom Kippur fighters are fighting for the image of the country." After a report was received by the IDF, which concluded that these were metal thieves, the driver of the tank was arrested for questioning.
