JERUSALEM (JTA) — One of the Israeli soldiers who raised a banner protesting the evacuation of Jewish settlements was dismissed from the military.
The soldier’s dismissal was reported Tuesday in the Israeli media.
The second soldier identified in the incident was removed from the hesder program, which allows religious men to combine Torah study and military service. He will now be required to serve the full three years of service rather than 16 months.
In October, the two soldiers disrupted their swearing-in ceremony at the Western Wall by unfurling a banner that read "Shimshon does not evacuate Homesh" to protest the potential removal of West Bank settlements. Immediately following the incident, they were sentenced to 20 days in a military prison and told they could not serve as combat soldiers.
Their action was followed by several similar demonstrations.
The soldier reportedly was dismissed from the army because he did not show regret and would not commit to not committing similar acts in the future.
