T-Shirt Offensive to Palestinians Condemned by Israeli Military

T-shirts that became popular with a small group of Israeli soldiers recently were condemned by the Israeli military. One of the t-shirts depicted a pregnant Muslim woman in a rifle’s crosshairs with a slogan in Hebrew that read "1 Shot 2 Kills," while another showed a gun-carrying child with the slogan "The smaller they are, the harder it is." The shirts were donned by a fairly small group of Israeli Defense Force soldiers to celebrate the end of their basic training. The offensive t-shirts, following closely on the heels of suspected misconduct by the Israeli army during the recent Gaza conflict, has Muslim leaders angered further.

The Israeli military responded to the t-shirts by noting that they were "tasteless" and "not in accordance with IDF values." Lt. General Gabi Ashkenazi, the Israeli military’s chief of staff, defended his troops, noting, "I tell you that this is a moral and ideological army. I have no doubt that exceptional events will be dealt with, said Ashkenazi, who also noted that Gaza "is a complex atmosphere that includes civilians, and we took every measure possible to reduce harm to the innocent." The t-shirts were not authorized or made by the Israeli military, but the factory owner who produced them would not comment.

There was little response to the t-shirts in the Palestinian territories, mostly because residents in those regions apparently were unaware of them. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum, however, when asked about them, noted that the incident "reflects the brutal mentality among the Zionist soldiers and the Zionist society."