TEL AVIV (JTA) — The Israel Defense Forces dismissed two soldiers after discovering that they pledged on Facebook to refuse orders to evacuate West Bank settlements.
The incident comes days after the IDF evacuation of portions of three illegal Jewish outposts in the West Bank.
The Facebook post that resulted in the soldiers’ dismisal was a photo of a piece of paper that said, in Hebrew, “A real border policeman doesn’t evacuate Jews!” The post reportedly went viral among soldiers, including those not serving in the West Bank.
The two soldiers in question were not posted in the West Bank at the time of the incident.
The protest comes two weeks after dozens of IDF soldiers posted anonymously on Facebook protesting the suspension of a soldier from the Nahal Brigade identified as David who had threatened a Palestinian youth with a rifle. Those posts featured IDF soldiers holding pieces of paper over their faces reading, “I am also with David from Nahal.”
“Facebook is not a command tool,” said IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, according to Haaretz. “It’s not an alternative or even a parallel channel for dialogue between commanders and their soldiers.”
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