The IDF removed a religious soldier from combat duty in the Golani Brigade after he wore a Messiah patch during an operation inside Lebanese territory.
The soldier, who serves in 12th Battalion, holds, according to his friends, a designated role dealing with explosive drones during combat. The soldier was removed from Lebanese territory this past Saturday following the incident.
The incident began on Friday afternoon when the outgoing commander of the 12th Battalion held a discussion with soldiers from the battalion and noticed the patch the soldier was wearing on his uniform. The battalion commander asked the soldier to remove the patch immediately, and the soldier complied and removed it on the spot. Nevertheless, several hours later, a decision was made to remove him from Lebanon during the Shabbat (Sabbath).
During the dismissal process, the soldier argued that he had been forced to violate the Sabbath without an operational necessity. In contrast, the battalion commander argued that, in his view, this was an extremely serious disciplinary violation, and that the operational need justified removing the soldier from Lebanon even in the middle of the Sabbath.
The Rosh Yeshiva of the religious Zionist pre-military academy where the soldier studied spoke to Arutz Sheva about the removal and criticized the decision. According to him, the need to maintain discipline in the IDF is clear and understood, and the soldier also understands this and is prepared to take responsibility - but there is no place for a punishment that is disproportionately severe.
“It makes no sense to impose a disproportionate punishment that harms the motivation of soldiers who risk their lives for the people and the country," the academy head said.
He further argued that removing the soldier on the Sabbath did not, in his view, justify the severity of the decision made in his case.
The soldier’s comrades in his platoon also sharply criticized the decision, saying they feel a deep sense of injustice and unfairness given the severity of the action taken against their friend.
Speaking to Arutz Sheva, the soldiers said: “It’s unbelievable that during such an intense period of combat, the army is dealing with things like this."