Five combat soldiers who refused on Monday to take part in the planned operation to evict two Jewish families from their homes in Hevron were already sentenced Monday night to 28 days confinement to their base. They face a monetary fine, as well, and will likely be

It is unclear how many other soldiers actually refused or avoided the Hevron eviction orders.

removed from combat duty altogether. It is unclear how many other soldiers actually refused or avoided the Hevron eviction orders, but as of Monday night, the IDF is trying only twelve soldiers for insubordination.

The sentences thus far handed down are lighter than the active jail time called for by many left-wing politicians. On the other hand, soldiers who refused orders during the 2005 unilateral withdrawal and mass evictions from Gaza and northern Samaria ("Disengagement") were often allowed to return to their units later on.

There are several cases of Duchifat Battalion soldiers who refused to carry out orders related to the eviction of two Jewish families from their homes in Hevron's Shalhevet neighborhood. The soldiers, including at least two squad commanders, refused orders they received on Monday morning to secure a road leading to Hevron ahead of the planned forced evictions. An IDF spokesperson said that only 12 soldiers refused orders outright, but reports from the field indicate that a total of almost 30 soldiers said that they would not actively carry out the relevant orders.

"The IDF is trying to hush up and hide the phenomenon of refusal of orders," according to well-known right-wing activist and resident of the Tel Rumeida neighborhood in Hevron, Baruch Marzel. "It is much more widespread than is being reported. We are talking about scores and possibly hundreds of soldiers who are interested in various degrees of refusal."

The father of one of the Duchifat refusers seemed to confirm Marzel's assertion during an interview with Arutz Sheva Radio. According to the soldier's father, Moshe Rosenfeld, the refusal to take part in the Hevron evictions actually began with the entire Netzach Yehuda battalion of the Kfir Brigade. Netzach Yehuda is a combat unit made up exclusively of Haredi and national-religious soldiers. When the eviction-related mission was subsequently assigned to Duchifat, 13 soldiers of the unit quickly obtained "sick leave" furlough passes rather than explicitly refuse to execute the orders.

Activist Attorney Aviad Vissouly announced Monday that he is prepared to represent, free

13 soldiers of the unit quickly obtained "sick leave" furlough passes.

of charge, any IDF soldiers indicted for refusing orders relating to the forced eviction of Jews from Hevron's Shalhevet neighborhood. In the past, Vissouly has successfully defended Land of Israel activists arrested in connection with protest activities.

Nadia Matar, a Director of the Women in Green activist movement, praised the refusal of dozens of elite IDF soldiers to take part in the eviction of Jews from the Shalhevet neighborhood. "A new spirit is finally expressing itself in Judea and Samaria," Matar said. "A spirit that dares defy the evil leftist Olmert government; a spirit that says not all orders are legal - we are willing to send our sons to the army to fight the Arab enemy, but not to fight Jews!"