IDF to admit old tradition of soldier abuse
Ynet learns Northern Command's court to be presented with plea bargain between Chief Military Advocacy, lawyers of two commanders accused of humiliating young troops; soldiers to receive relatively minor punishments
As part of the deal, the Israel Defense Forces admits for the first time, that the abuse affair revealed in the Armored Corps' 74th Battalion is an old tradition, and therefore the punishments given to the soldiers involved in the affair would be significantly reduced.
The agreement was reached with the representatives of the main suspects in the affair: Staff Sergeant On Blumenson and Sergeant Shahar Nitzan.
During Monday's discussion, the defense counsels claimed that the incident which led to the investigation was not random, but part of an old tradition in the battalion, which many commanders were part of.
They also claimed that the commanders who carried out the violent acts suffered the same humiliation themselves as young soldiers, and that the victims were aware of the fact that this was part of the battalion's folklore and nothing more.
This claim, which was rejected by the Military Advocacy's representatives in the past, led this time to a substantial change when a decision was made following material presented by the lawyers of Staff Sergeant Blumenson. The material reveals that violent ceremonies have been taking place in the battalion for years, and that junior commanders who were promoted in recent years were aware of the matter.
Criminal record – for 2 years only
The lawyers also presented letters from several soldiers who had fallen victim to such acts in the past. "I would like to clarify that this has all been blown out of proportion," one of the troops wrote to the Military Advocacy.
"Even before arriving at the company, I knew and heard about the folklore and tradition, which includes physically punishing young soldiers. This did not deter me from reaching the battalion and company.
Another soldier, who had coffee "prepared" in his mouth, wrote that "it was done in the right spirit of the company's folklore."
In light of the new state of affairs, it was decided to include in the plea bargain a clear statement that the commanders arrested are not criminals and did what they did as part of the same tradition.
The two soldiers will be sentenced to five months in prison. In light of the fact that they have already served about 70 days in jail, and deducting one-third of their sentence for good behavior, the two are expected to be released from prison soon.
The defendants' main achievement is in terms of their criminal record. In general, a conviction carries a criminal record for 17 years. In this case, the Military Advocacy will recommend that the president cut this period short.
The Military Advocacy's agreement to do so shows that it views the two main suspects as part of a group which carried out the violent acts. In addition, the two fighters will not be demoted to the rank of private as customary, and the damage to their rank will be minor.
During the discussion it was also agreed that the Military Advocacy would recommend establishing a permanent committee which would monitor such incidents throughout the IDF in order to locate them at their early stages.
When the first indictment in the affair were filed, the mother of one of the accused told Ynet that her son had suffered "terrible injustice" and that she felt he had been betrayed by the State and the army.
She added that she had been hurt by "the silence of the commanders throughout the army and Armored Corps' ranks of command. I am waiting for a righteous person to stand up and say that this phenomenon, which we don't agree with, must be treated in an education way which will uproot the phenomenon.
"What they are doing instead is a staged trial for the regimental policeman. Everything which has been accepted in the company and in this unit for so many years will now fall on our sons' shoulders," the mother said.
