Army questions 7 soldiers (Archive photo)
Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Office
7 'radical soldiers' questioned
Army increasingly alert in wake of Shfaram attack; soldiers who express extreme sentiments against pullout plan or voice intention to hurt Arabs investigated
At least seven soldiers who in recent days expressed extreme sentiments against the disengagement plan or voiced an intention to hurt Arabs were questioned by special Military Police units, Ynet learned Wednesday night.
In addition, a soldier belonging to the IDF Home Front Command was detained after expressing a desire to hurt Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. The suspect was expected to be questioned Thursday morning.
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"We realize that in many cases (soldiers) utter remarks that have no practical meaning behind them, but in the reality that has emerged we prefer to investigate every incident and ensure the words were empty, instead of finding ourselves surprised as was the case with last week's terror attack in Shfaram," an IDF source said.
Army officials say that since the Shfaram attack, where IDF deserter Eden Natan Zada murdered four Israelis aboard a bus, the military has increased its supervision over every soldier, and particularly those opposed to the disengagement and expressing their sentiments to their friends. Every comment that deviates from accepted standards is passed on to the Military Police, who decide how to proceed with each case.
Increased sensitivity
Since the Shfaram attack, five soldiers faced an interrogation after their commanders reported they expressed harsh ant-pullout sentiments. Meanwhile, a Military Police female soldier who during an interview said "some Arabs should be killed" was also taken in for questioning.
"There is no doubt that since the murder in Shfaram, the sensitivity to every word uttered, and certainly every deed, is much higher," an IDF source said. "There is no way to reach every soldier or use a network of agents that would identify soldiers who intend to carry out extreme acts and therefore we are focusing on the various commanders and asking them to report every unusual word or expression."
The source said that in another case in recent days, two ultra-Orthodox soldiers were forbidden from using weapons as a result of information received by Military Police investigators
