Paratroopers in Gaza
צילום: AP
Officer punished for fighting in Gaza
Paratroopers lieutenant attending IDF academy joins comrades fighting in Strip sans superiors' permission, tried for disobeying order, sent to 21 days in brig. Sentence eventually commuted by head of GOC Army Headquarters
Overly motivated? An IDF lieutenant with the Paratroopers Brigade, who left his studies at the IDF academy without authorization, in order to join his unit during the Israeli offensive in Gaza, was recently sentenced to 21 days in the brig.
A., a student in the IDF's Tactical Command College, was a former deputy company commander in the Paratroopers. He began his studies several months ago, but when the Gaza war began, he felt he had to join his comrades in the field, and headed south sans his superiors' approval.
Many of the officers attending the academy joined their units in Gaza, but A was the only one who did so without permission: "He felt he had to be with his friends… He knew he would be punished when he returned, but all he cared about at the time was helping his unit," said sources close to the officer.
Upon his return to the academy, his superior officers charged him with an Article 92 – failure to obey an order. Commander of the Tactical Command College Colonel Hagai Mordechai found him guilty and sentenced him to three weeks in prison.
A. appealed the verdict in a letter to GOC Army Headquarters Major-General Avi Mizrahi, who decided to commute the sentence to only a handful of days.
The IDF Spokesman's Unit offered the following comment: "During the second day of the Gaza campaign, the activities at the Tactical Command College were suspended in order to allow all students to take part in the operation. The student in question requested to be stationed with his old unit, and later decided to do so even though his request was denied.
"Following the incident, he was summoned by the (college's) evaluation committee, where he admitted disobeying an order and said he understood the gravity of his actions. GOC Army Headquarters Major-General Avi Mizrahi eventually commuted his sentence to only five days."
