The army is tracking the identity of a soldier shown frying a live bird on a video clip posted online. On Thursday, the IDF announced that the Military Police had opened an investigation into the incident. The soldier was apparently found and will be questioned and most likely indicted for cruelty to animals.
Soldier abuses bird
The video garnered much attention on social networks, but was taken off of YouTube on Wednesday night, shortly after it was uploaded. In the clip, which is 33-seconds long, the soldier, dressed in military trousers and a white shirt, is seen holding a small bird's legs, and dipping it in boiling liquid. The small bird flaps, and then – after encouragement of an off-screen person – the soldier again dips the bird’s head in the pot, holding it under for a few seconds.
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"Is it dead?" asks the off-screen person. The soldier who holds the bird examines it before replying, "Yes."
The IDF spokesperson said, "The video presents a serious case which is not in line with the values of the IDF. Military Police have opened an investigation and will pass the findings onto the military prosecutor."
The incident occurred in parallel to a new campaign launched by the IDF which calls on soldiers to use and enjoy social networks by uploading videos, pictures and personal stories to the IDF's official pages on YouTube ,Facebook and Twitter.
The goal is to promote the image of the military, but especially to filter out content prohibited in terms of information security or inappropriateness, which soldiers may otherwise distribute on social networks. In recent months, the phenomenon of ‘unbecoming’ social network use by soldiers escalated, following the upload of videos and pictures showing female soldiers in the nude.