Three IDF soldiers from the Givat Brigade were sentenced on Thursday to 21 days without leave after they arrived late to a memorial service for one of the brigade's fallen on Tuesday.
According to the soldiers' families, the delay was caused by a haredi protest against the arrest of draft evaders, which blocked Route 4 at the Geha Junction in central Israel.
According to IDF officials, the soldiers needed to leave their homes earlier to ensure they would arrive on time, even with the possibility of traffic. The officials stressed that due to the tardiness, no uniformed representative was present at the ceremony.
Shiri Amit, one of the soldiers' mothers, told Ynet that her son and his peers left central Israel for the ceremony in Petah Tikva about two hours before it started.
The mother said that during the trip, the soldiers' commander told them about the delay, and even updated the casualty officer. According to Amit, despite the explanation and the evidence they produced, the three were sentenced to on-base detention. "They sent proof of the roadblocks that prevented them from moving. This is what hurts me, they are simple soldiers, and they just don't believe them."
She also noted that her son and his peers, who served in the northern arena and returned home so they could attend the memorial, only managed to attend the meal with the bereaved family that was held afterwards.
"They were sentenced to on-base detention because of a group of draft-dodging haredim who blocked the road, that's what's driving me crazy," the mother concluded.