Ynet exclusive: An Israeli Air Force major serving in an auxiliary equipment squadron has been declared a deserter after taking unauthorized leave several weeks ago, flying to the United States and refusing to return.
The grave incident is under a military embargo as only a handful of details are available at this time. Sources in the defense establishment
said Tuesday that there are some concerns that the major may divulge privileged information he has come across in the course of his service to foreign elements.
The officer, who has a Masters degree in engineering, has been privy to some of the IAF's top secret projects, such as the new improvement made to the corps' F-16I Sufa fighter jets. Prior to the incident, he was considered an outstanding officer, and was even awarded the Air Force Commander's Commendation in 2007 for a top-secret project he headed.
The major's relationship with the Air Force took a turn for the worst in early March, when the Military Police launched an investigation against him for allegedly attempting to start a business while on leave in the US. Under the Military code, enlisted officers are not allowed to obtain a secondary source of income without proper military authorization.
The officer claimed in his investigation that all he was doing was reviewing a business plan in preparation for his nearing release from the service. An IDF spokesman statement regarding the case said only that the investigation into the matter has been completed and its findings were turned over to the Judge Advocate General's Office for review.
The officer – who at this time was nearing the end of his service – was then informed by his commanders that he would be required to carry out an additional mission, before ending his service. August saw the officer take an unauthorized leave and fly to New York, where his family was already waiting.
Once 45 days elapsed and the major failed to report to duty, the military deemed him AWAL (absent without authorized leave) and declared him a deserter.
A source familiar with the case's details told Ynet that the officer's conduct was "completely unbecoming. Even if he found certain things to be unacceptable, going AWOL was the wrong thing to do. The fact that he was working on top secret project only makes it worse."
The officer's attorneys, meanwhile, claim he is willing to return to Israel. "This is a sequence of events brought on by several elements being out of sync. We've approached the military a week ago in order to clarify the events and dismiss the absent without authorized leave charges," said a statement by attorneys Shlomi Zippori and Shlomi Rachbei.
"We believe that once all the facts are made clear, this matter will reach a swift conclusion," ended the statement.
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