Transcript [00:00] Lieutenant Dean Elsdun, an international [00:01] spokesperson for the Israeli police. [00:03] Shalom. [00:04] >> Hi. Hi. Thank you. [00:05] >> You're speaking with us from the [00:06] president's residence as you received a [00:09] special recognition from President [00:11] Herzog. [00:12] >> Very exciting day. I can say that. [00:14] That's even an understatement. Who would [00:16] have thought that 8 years ago I made [00:18] Aliyah [00:20] drafted into special unit as a Khayal [00:22] Boded and then later became an [00:24] international spokesperson not just for [00:26] the police, but I feel like for the [00:27] country and today that work all that [00:30] work in the last 8 years has been [00:31] recognized on a on a stage that I [00:33] couldn't even dream of being on. [00:35] >> Dean, take us back, please, to October [00:36] 7th, the memories from that tragic and [00:39] challenging day. [00:40] >> Well, I feel like it was just yesterday. [00:42] I feel like maybe even this morning. [00:44] Obviously, [music] can't forget that [00:45] day. At approximately 6:30 in the [00:47] morning, I'm getting the call about [00:49] rockets that I need to get to the base. [00:51] As I'm getting ready, I'm getting more [00:52] calls about terrorists and then about [00:55] kidnappings and soldiers and officers [00:57] that are fighting for their lives and [00:58] and really only as I'm getting to the [01:01] station, I start listening to the [01:03] emergency dispatch of the officers, the [01:04] radio, the walkie-talkies of the [01:06] officers that are fighting for their [01:07] lives and fighting for our country. I [01:09] understand that our police officers, the [01:11] men and women that fought that day are [01:13] are really the human shield, the [01:15] bulletproof vest of our nation [01:17] and it became my job from those moments [01:19] to pass on the stories of heroism to the [01:21] rest of the world. [01:22] >> And from the beginning, you were out [01:23] there on the field on this battlefront, [01:26] the battlefront of truth against the [01:28] lies, telling the stories. [01:30] >> Yeah, I can I so I I wasn't fighting on [01:34] October 7th physically, but I can tell [01:35] you that in the media and behind the [01:38] scenes and in my conversations with [01:40] media and to get the real stories out, [01:43] it was it was the fight of my life. [01:45] From October 9th, I was already inside [01:47] of the kibbutzim. Already in the early [01:49] days, I was there, but from October 9th, [01:51] I was able to bring [01:53] the international media to the kibbutzim [01:55] together with Lior Diamond who allowed [01:56] me even to do this and to pass on the [01:59] stories of our police officers who were [02:01] fighting in Kibbutz in Kfar Aza who were [02:03] fighting in Be'eri in the Nova [02:06] really to pass on that message. [02:08] And it and I say it became a fight [02:10] because I felt like I was sitting there [02:12] convincing people and that was the [02:14] struggle that I'm standing on top of [02:16] dead bodies and the the bags are are [02:19] covering them. The blood is starting to [02:21] create a smell that you'll never be able [02:22] to forget. We're standing in houses that [02:24] are burned, blood everywhere. They're [02:26] still fighting in the background and I'm [02:28] actually standing there and saying, [02:29] "Look at what they did. Look at what [02:31] what they're doing. You're going to need [02:33] to remember this because they're going [02:34] to come a day when we're there there's [02:36] obviously going to be a reaction to [02:38] this. You need to remember that the if [02:39] this was your family that they came and [02:41] kidnapped, that there was your family [02:43] that they came and and slaughtered like [02:45] this like animals, you would also want [02:47] justice. You would also not allow for [02:49] this to be your next-door neighbor who [02:51] dreams of doing it over and over again [02:53] until you no longer exist and that [02:54] became my fight whether it was through [02:57] the tours in the kibbutzim, whether it [02:58] was bringing people like the Secretary [03:01] of State and speaking to him in Nova, [03:03] bringing Lindsey Graham, rest in peace, [03:05] who was a great friend of Israel and [03:06] speaking to him in Kfar Aza, people who [03:08] I was able to explain to them the truth [03:10] from a police officer, not on a [03:12] political level, but bring them the [03:13] stories that actually happened that day [03:15] and why Israel is fighting. [03:17] >> Another challenge you faced on this [03:19] battlefield, the flotillas. [03:21] >> Yeah, so the flotilla, the Yom Kippur [03:23] flotilla, there was a few of them. The [03:24] Yom Kippur flotilla was really one of [03:25] the more memorable ones [03:27] where there was a huge media storm of [03:31] humanitarian aid trying to get into [03:33] Gaza, but I know as someone who stood in [03:35] Kerem Shalom the truth of how much aid [03:37] is actually getting in there. The police [03:39] officers who are escorting trucks [03:41] [music] and trucks of aid into Gaza and [03:43] I thought to myself, okay, like let me [03:46] give this story to the media, the truth [03:48] of what's happening. When the flotilla [03:50] arrived, I was able to go on it and not [03:53] really to my I don't want to even say I [03:55] was surprised. I knew it was all a show. [03:56] I knew it was all for social media. I [03:58] get on and the boat was just empty. [04:00] There was a little bit of food that they [04:01] were eating and surprisingly enough, [04:03] funny enough, the water that was there [04:05] was Mayadeen. It was water that our navy [04:07] soldiers gave to these people who came [04:10] to smear Israel's name and we were [04:12] actually giving them the aid. And I was [04:15] able to take a quick selfie, a video, [04:18] post it to the world so that they can [04:19] see the truth and put the truth out [04:22] what the real goal here, the agenda of [04:23] these people was. And that was to take [04:25] headlines, that was to get media [04:27] following, social media followings and [04:29] make [music] money off the back of our [04:31] country who's fighting for his existence [04:33] and fighting our soldiers who are [04:34] fighting for [music] our families here [04:35] at home. [04:36] >> Dean is someone who is telling our [04:37] stories, spreading the truth to the [04:39] world. What's your message to our [04:41] viewers? [04:42] >> So I can tell you as somebody who deals [04:44] with international media and and sits [04:45] here in Israel and sees Israeli media, [04:48] you need to understand there's two [04:49] different fires going on right now and [04:51] they're two different worlds. The [04:52] stories that we're talking about here, [04:54] we may understand the nuance in the [04:55] context cuz we're Israeli, but abroad [04:57] they use that against us. And I'm not [04:59] saying to lie, we should always always [05:00] tell the truth, but you need to [05:02] understand that that context and [05:04] background that we just already have [05:05] that understanding of, they're [05:07] manipulating it against us and they're [05:09] using it to show the world and to try to [05:11] falsely claim that we're doing something [05:13] that we're not. I would say don't give [05:15] up, continue to speak on behalf of [05:18] Israel because the truth will prevail, [05:20] the justice will prevail. All the noise [05:22] that we're hearing in social media, [05:24] whether it's from bots or other funding, [05:26] it's just another front of the enemy [05:28] who's trying to destroy Israel. [05:30] But you need to keep preaching because [05:32] in order for the choir to sing, you need [05:33] to preach to it. And I have to say that [05:36] I wouldn't be standing here today, first [05:37] of all, if it wasn't for my commanders [05:39] who gave me the support to to know my [05:41] job is more than just representing the [05:43] Israel police, it's representing Israel. [05:45] I wouldn't be standing here if it wasn't [05:47] for the police officers, the female and [05:49] male, who gave their lives were the [05:51] human shield for our country, no matter [05:53] what going to be there for our [05:54] civilians. And obviously for my wife who [05:56] throughout this entire time was at home [05:59] with our two children, whether there was [06:01] uh school or no school, whether it was [06:03] under rockets and she had to let me go [06:05] and to and to represent our officers in [06:08] our country as the rockets are falling. [06:09] She needs to be there alone and hold [06:10] down the fort. I thank all of them. [06:13] >> Lieutenant Daniel's doing. Thank you [06:14] very much for joining us. [06:15] >> Thank you guys and thank you for the [06:16] opportunity to represent you guys.
