Israel Matzav

IDF Nachal Haredi unit angry over being tricked

A battalion of the IDF's Nachal Haredi unit has written an angry letter to its battalion commanders and to the IDF's Chief Rabbi after being tricked into participating in the demolition of a Jewish home in Samaria that was built in violation of the 'settlement freeze.'

“This was an arrogant, disgraceful and deceptive act… We are saddened that time after time, the IDF does not realize that it should respect the values of Jewish tradition. This, in addition to the fact that the IDF does not know the different between a political mission that hurts the IDF goals and crumbles its ethical strength, and a security mission for which we risk our lives.

“In order to accomplish this mission [of destruction in Givat Ronen], the commanders knowingly lied to the regiment soldiers, telling them that they were to replace a Border Guard battalion that was leaving for the south for active duty – when in fact these Border Guardsman were actually involved in destroying Jewish homes in Judea and Samaria. This fact is a mortal blow to our trust in the IDF command. To deviate from the norm of telling the truth in the IDF is a mortal blow that could have ramifications in all the various planes of military behavior, both in routine work and at times of emergency.”

The soldiers say that their senior commanders lied to them knowing that many of the soldiers would not want to take part even indirectly in harming Jews and their property. “Instead, they chose to sacrifice the trust of their soldiers in their commanders, causing a direct blow to their combat readiness and ability – and all this in order to carry out a grave act that stands in opposition to the goals of the IDF.”

The IDF Spokesman, asked to comment on the issue, did not relate to the actual charges of lying and deception. Instead, he issued a peculiar statement to the effect that the soldiers did not actually mean to sign the letter. The statement reads: “According to a review conducted by the Central Command with the soldiers, it became clear that their names were affixed to the document without their permission, without authority and against their will, despite the fact that they asked, when the incident became known, to remove their names. The IDF rejects what is written in the document. The soldiers of the Netzach Yehuda Battalion [Nachal Hareidi] perform their work in a professional manner and are an important force in the combat needs of the Central Command.”

I would bet that those soldiers signed the petition.

Someone should tell Mr. Obama that there's another reason why Jews cannot be expelled from Judea and Samaria: The IDF won't carry out the orders.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:33 AM