Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he has been shaken to "the core of my being" after watching footage of a Palestinian man screaming at Israeli soldiers to shoot his young child, who is trotted out before the soldiers while waving a Palestinian flag.
Netanyahu was reacting to recently published footage showing a Palestinian man shoving his young child toward armed Israeli soldiers while yelling at them to shoot the kid.
"A Palestinian father holds up his 4-year-old son," Netanyahu said of the footage. "He pleads with Israeli Border Policemen to kill his own child. He shouts, 'Shoot this little boy!' His boy. He pushes his young son forward toward the soldiers and screams, 'Kill him! Shoot him!' The boy pauses. He is scared. Any child would be. He turns back, looking at his father for guidance."
"With his shirt tightly tucked into his bright red shorts the boy ambles forward toward the soldiers," Netanyahu continues. "One of them extends his hand in friendship. The boy gives him a high-five. It's hard to make a four-year-old hate."
In reaction to the footage, Netanyahu said that the video "shook me to the core of my being. In just a few seconds, it shows why our conflict persists."