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Wednesday, August 19, 2009

IDF worried: Soldiers may refuse orders to expel Jews from their homes

During the Gaza expulsion four years ago, the IDF was successful in minimizing the number of soldiers who refused to obey orders. Although the IDF did not say so, for the most part, if soldiers felt that they could not take part in expelling Gaza's Jews, they told their commanding officers and they were reassigned. Some soldiers were reassigned out of combat units as a result. There was only one highly publicized incident of a soldier refusing to obey orders (pictured). Many soldiers were too shell-shocked to think on their feet, and given what was deemed broad support for the expulsion, most rabbinic and lay leaders erred on the side of obeying orders.

But if God forbid the government tries to expel Jews from their homes in Judea and Samaria, there are an awful lot of soldiers who will say no. The IDF fears that as many as one third of its soldiers may refuse orders to expel Jews from their homes. And they are trying to act now to head the problem off before it starts.
Judea and Samaria Regional Commander Brigadier General Noam Tibon sent detailed instructions to officers throughout his command offering guidelines towards dealing with the refusal of orders, in a document revealed Wednesday by the Hebrew-language newspaper Haaretz.

“A third of soldiers and officers may have difficulty” carrying out evacuation orders, the document reads. They require “extensive care and counseling” to insure their cooperation, it continues.
In other words, they need to be brainwashed.
Tibon recognizes in the document that evacuating outposts or communities is not a “traditional combat mission” but rather the IDF carrying out “governmental decisions, which are a matter of public debate” and likely to cause “refusal of orders by individual or groups of soldiers.” IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi previously has said that police should carry out expulsions without the help of soldiers.

The instructions allow officers leeway in exempting certain soldiers from participating in evacuations. “A lenient policy must be adopted towards commanders or soldiers who have a family or social connection to the population being evacuated,” it reads.

However, for soldiers actively refusing orders, the guidelines offer no leniency. “Red lines need to be drawn for cases of refusal. Until the soldier actually refuses the order, the officer should display empathy; however if a soldier refuses, clear disciplinary action must be taken.”

Tibon also recommends that commanding officers take a central role during evacuations and act as “a personal role model,” taking command at points of tension and not delegating responsibility to individual soldiers.
My guess is that the problem is much greater than one third. 40% of the IDF's combat soldiers are religious. Much of the officer corps, except for the highest echelon, is religious. Nearly everyone who is religious in this country has relatives somewhere over the green line. The IDF's problem could well approach 50-60% and include many of the officers Ashkenazi wants to lead the expulsions.

What could go wrong?

4 Comments:

At 7:43 PM, Blogger NormanF said...

I hope to G-d they won't happen. What happened to the IDF that its mission changed from one of defending the country to one of booting Jews out of their homes? They can brainwash soldiers all they like but it is going to be impossible to uproot close to 600,000 revanants where they live now. Even if the entire army was mobilized to do it.

 
At 9:06 PM, Blogger Kae Gregory said...

All the IDF need do is to keep the soldiers from thinking logically. If they ever arrive at the conclusion that expelling Jews means having a committed enemy next door it's over. Phrases like "We are the ones we've been waiting for," seem to have the effect of siezing the logic synapse in the brain. At least it had that effect over here.

 
At 1:18 AM, Blogger ANGRY FOR GOD said...

I hope they disobey.
How would America here like it if people expelled us out of our homes?
How can this EVIL administration of death and destruction demand that people leave their homes?
:(
themadjewess.wordpress.com

 
At 1:23 AM, Blogger NormanF said...

It did with the Gush Katif expulsion. The Jews there were given no choice. They were forced out against their will. I wonder if Israel has truly internalized the lessons of that horrific experience. May it never be repeated again!

 

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