Warning: graphic image below

Usually when the Israeli military kills a high profile civilian, the response from its spokespeople is limited to words along the lines of: “It’s under investigation, but we’re innocent anyway.”

However, with the shooting and eventual killing of Mustafa Tamimi, the IDF feels free to speak its mind via Twitter. Here’s what its spokespeople have to say:

IDF Spokesperson Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich:





IDF Spokesperson Capt. Barak Raz:





In other words, the smoking gun is the slingshot, not the tear gas launcher that was fired at close range from an armored Israeli miltary jeep that was invading a Palestinian village situated outside of Israel.

Personally, I couldn’t care less if Tamimi had a boulder and a catapult in his back pocket. But there’s something depressing about laying out a single slingshot for display as if it were a major arms or drugs cache at a press conference.

And is it me, or is it rather tasteless to boast that you are treating someone in your fine, fine hospital right after you shot that person in the face?

IDF Spokesperson Maj. Peter Lerner:





That’s right. If Tamimi really had nothing to hide, he would have been wearing olive green fatigues, combat boots and a helmet, while firing from the back of an armored military jeep.

However, the award for the most sickening response to the shooting of Mustafa Tamimi is this additional tweet from Lerner, which was retweeted by Leibovich:





Take a look at the image below and imagine Lerner’s “#Fail” hashtag superimposed on it. Then excuse yourself and vomit.



(Photo: Lazar Simeonov)