JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli reservists and officers signed a petition asking that they be able to fight terrorists and not evacuate Jewish settlements.
The soldiers, members of the Shimshon Battalion, sent a letter to their commanders that appeared to support the new cadets who unfurled a sign that read "We won’t evacuate Homesh" at their swearing-in ceremony several weeks ago.
"We, the past soldiers of Shimshon and the present reserves solders, who wish to take our beloved Shimshon Brigade back to the days of its splendor and gallantry, hereby turn to the regiment commander and the brigade commander to help us with this important mission," the letter read.
"The battalion’s commanders’ occupation with political whims in the ruins of Homesh in Samaria in recent months, the observation and persecution of Jews, the joyous cries as if they were among the greatest terrorists — these all cause us great shame," it said.
The letter said that many new soldiers "are concerned that their military talents may be exploited to carry out political policies that have no relation to the security needs of the State of Israel."
The two recruits involved in the swearing-in incident were expelled from the battalion.
The battalion is part of the Kfir Brigade, which polices the West Bank.
