PNN – Israeli army chief of staff Eyal Zamir described some of the behavior of Israeli soldiers during the Gaza war as “akin to rebellion against the values of the army.” He cited the soldiers’ use of rags with extremist political slogans on their uniforms, the theft of property from Lebanese citizens, and the destruction of a statue of Christ in southern Lebanon.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, the Arab48 website wrote: According to a report in the Haaretz newspaper, Zamir said yesterday in a speech in the presence of officers with the rank of colonel and above: The fatigue of combat units after two and a half years of war on various fronts cannot justify such behavior.
He also showed a picture of an attack on Palestinians in the West Bank, with soldiers wearing “Yes to Violence” on their uniforms, and asked commanders: Where is the unit commander? Where is the battalion commander? However, Zamir did not mention the murderous crimes in the occupied territories.
The Haaretz newspaper wrote that these behaviors began at the beginning of the Gaza war, when some soldiers painted the word “Christ” and symbols of the extremist religious movement “Chabad” on their uniforms and despite orders from former Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi to stop these behaviors, many commanders refused to carry out the order.
Zamir called the acts of theft of Lebanese citizens’ property “a stain on the entire Israeli army,” and emphasized, “We will not be an army of thieves.” He ordered the formation of a management unit including the military prosecutor’s office, military police, and the human resources department to investigate violations and enforce military discipline, and asked all battalion commanders to investigate cases of theft and submit a report within a week.
The IDF Chief of Staff also protested discrimination against women in the army, including the punishment of female soldiers for inappropriate clothing, the ban on entry to some units due to the presence of Haredi soldiers, and character-destroying campaigns against female officers on social media.
Zamir emphasized that the army will prevent reservists from posting political videos on social media while in uniform, adding that this issue is of particular importance as Israel’s general elections approach.