The Israeli army has handed out prison sentences to 31 paratroopers who briefly abandoned their post on the Lebanese border to protest what they claimed was harsh treatment by their commander.
An army spokesman said that the paratroopers were tried by their acting commander and were each sentenced to 56 days in prison.
The unit in which they served was also expected to be disbanded, Israel Radio reported.
The army said the soldiers had walked off the base because of what they described as “serious complaints” against their commander.
They returned minutes later, but the incident caused an uproar in the security community.
A reserve army lieutenant colonel told Israel Radio the maximum penalty under military law for abandoning a border post is 15 years in prison.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
