High Court of Justice
High Court of JusticeFlash 90

The Israeli High Court on Monday rejected the appeal filed by Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi, connected to ​​the suicide case of Givati soldier Sergeant Niv Lubaton.

The court ruled that the dismissed commander of the Investigational Military Police (IMP) base in Be'er Sheva, Major Gilad Franken, would not be expelled from the army and would return to service.

Kochavi had contested the district court's intervention in a military command decision to oust Major Franken, following the suicide of the Givati ​​soldier.

According to the IDF, Franken was being held responsible as the commander of the unit which acted negligently in its attempts to recruit Lubaton, applying excessive pressure which led to the soldier's suicide in 2019.

The officer claimed that he was not directly involved in the command of the coordinators or in the instructions given to them at the time.

Yedioth Ahronoth reported documental evidence that the intelligence coordinators who recruited Lubaton, and ignored his cries for help until he committed suicide, had acted upon objectives set by Franken.

As reported by INN last year (January 23, 2021):

An Israeli court this week overturned a decision by IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi to fire Major Gilad Franken, who formerly served as commander of the Investigational Military Police (IMP) base in Be'er Sheva.

Franken was fired due to the suicide of a Givati soldier, Sergeant Niv Lubaton, after IMP intelligence directors attempted to enlist him as an agent.

"These steps need to meet the army's protocols and the rules of administrative court," Judge Orna Levi wrote in her ruling. "They need to be appropriate, proportional, and based properly on facts - not personal feelings, especially after there were professional and authoritative investigations of the event. They need to have detailed explanations."

Yamina chairman Naftali Bennett responded: "A court interfering in the IDF Chief of Staff's decision to fire a commander is outrageous. The commander of the army is the Chief of Staff, not the judges in court, and the Chief of Staff bears full responsibility for the IDF. This is one more [time] the court is crossing a red line - something which paralyzes all of the State's systems. Authority without responsibility. We'll deal with it."

MK Bezalel Smotrich, who heads the Religious Zionist party, responded: "If we continue to allow the court to run wild and interfere in whatever it wants, we will continue to receive more and more outrageous rulings, and more and more harm to the IDF and the State's security."

An IDF spokesman responded: "Following the death of IDF soldier Corporal Niv Lubaton, of blessed memory, indictments were filed against two intelligence directors. In addition, a special staff of experts was formed to examine the issue of enlisting sources in the IMP, and how they operate. The staff's conclusions and lessons are already being implemented on the ground. As part of the authoritative steps taken, it was decided that the commander of the unit in which these directors served, a commander at the rank of major, will be removed from his position as commander in the military police and his promotion will be delayed.

"It must be clarified that the process was done by the commanders, after they found serious failings in the commander's functioning, and not just because of his position as commander. The IDF is committed to carefully protecting the lives of its soldiers, and demands full responsibility from the IDF commanders, who are required to do everything in order to ensure the welfare of their soldiers. The IDF is interested in appealing this decision and is examining the possibility with the State Prosecutor."