100 soldiers stage mass walk-out at southern IDF base after row with their commander
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondentAround 100 infantry soldiers left behind their weapons and abandoned the military’s Sde Teiman base in southern Israel on Thursday after their battalion commander destroyed decorative signs they had put up, the Israel Defense Forces said.The mass walkout by troops from the Givati Brigade’s Tzabar Battalion was “being investigated and handled by the commanders,” the IDF said. “This is an incident that is inconsistent with the values of the IDF and with what is expected of its soldiers.”Later, nearly all of the troops, aside from one platoon — around 30-40 soldiers — returned to the base, according to the military.Footage posted online showed the soldiers marching out of the base while chanting an obscenity against officers. Other footage from the base showed a disorganized mount of guns left behind by the soldiers, and the wreckage of the removed signs, including one…
Approximately 100 infantry soldiers from the Givati Brigade’s Tzabar Battalion abandoned the Sde Teiman base in southern Israel on Thursday after their commander destroyed decorative signs they had erected. The soldiers claimed the signs were “part of our company’s tradition,” while the army stated they contained material disparaging to rookie soldiers. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) initiated an investigation, calling the incident “inconsistent with the values of the IDF.” Most of the troops, except for one platoon of 30-40 soldiers, returned to the base by evening. The IDF supported the commander's actions and announced that the soldiers who led the desertion would be disciplined by the brigade commander, Col. Netanel Shamaka, while those who failed to return would be declared AWOL and handled by the Military Police.
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