Character witnesses testify for Buchris
As special court prepares to approve plea bargain for Brig. Gen. Ofek Buchris, who will be demoted to rank of colonel but will not be sent to prison over a host of sexual assault allegations, the former Golani commander calls character witnesses, including top military brass, bereaved families; ‘I know him as a brave commander and a warrior, titles which cannot be taken away from him.’
Much like the majority of past similar cases, the judges, headed by Brigadier General Orli Markman, are expected to bring the issue to a conclusion as they lend their signature to the deal, according to which Buchris will be demoted to the rank of colonel, but will not be sent to prison.
As the legal discussions got underway, Buchris asked to say a few words. “I take full responsibility for all my actions for which I express sincere regret. I served our country with love and conviction for three decades. My resignation from the army caused me feelings of extreme emptiness. I wish to continue to contribute to the country,” he said.
During the court discussions, the chief military prosecutor, Col. Sharon Zagagi-Pinchas, said that the punishment of demoting Buchris to the rank of colonel is “extremely harsh.”
Agreeing with the statement, Judge Tvi Gorfinkel responded with reservations. “Demotion of rank is undoubtedly harsh for a brigadier general. He committed his offences as a colonel which he was a brigade commander so why return him to rank under which he committed the offences?”
The prosecutor replied by saying that it is inappropriate to carry out offences such as those done so by Buchris. “Buchris was already promoted to the rank of brigadier general and was on his way to becoming a general.” The demotion therefore, she argued, was serious.
But the judge was unwilling to let the matter go so easily. “Do you not see the problems in his denials, including in the courts? His denial was not immediate. Only after the plea bargain,” to which Zagagi-Pinchas insisted: “It is his right to deny. There was a mediation process.”
As part of the plea bargain, Buchris confessed to two offences in a revised indictment issued against him. They include forbidden sexual relations and indecent conduct.
The confession in a dramatic dilution of the original 17 charges levelled against him, which included rape, indecent assault and inappropriate behavior, allegedly committed during his previous command in the IDF Golani Brigade between 2010 and 2013.
In order to ensure that the plea bargain would be approved by the judges and to clean what has become a sullied reputation over the course of the entire affair, Buchris invited a number of character witnesses to attend Tuesday’s legal proceedings, which include combat soldiers who served alongside him, representatives of bereaved families, and General Avi Mizrachi (res.) who previously led the IDF’s Central Command.
Mizrachi, who served in a number of units with Buchris and also commanded him in several career positions, described Buchris as a hero in a conversation with Ynet on Monday.
Recalling the fighting that took place in Jenin Refugee Camp during Operation Defensive Shield During the battle, Mizrach recounted an incident during which terrorists dropped bombs on the building in which the two of them sat.
Buchris, he said, threw himself on top of Mizrachi—who was then commanding the 36th Division— before exiting the building and engaging the terrorists directly.
“Buchris must be punished for what he did, which the courts will decide,” Mizrachi said. “I know that my actions are not popular, but we don’t leave the wounded in the field. I will therefore be coming to testify for Buchris that I know him as a brave commander and a warrior, titles which cannot be taken away from him,” Mizrachi said.
Testifying in court on Tuesday, he began by establishing his credentials as a character witness. “I was his Buchris’s teacher during company commander’s course and during my time as a commander in the 36th commander. Ofek was a regiment commander in Golani under my command,” Mizrachi told the courts.
“I saw Ofek command over units in Lebanon and during Operation Defensive Shield. Ofek was always the first to volunteer for missions and to have a lot of sensitivity for the soldiers and bereaved families,” he continued.
“It is a loss for the IDF that Ofek was forced to resign,” Mizrachi lamented.
He also repeated the story he told Ynet in the courtroom, adding that Buchris sustained shrapnel wounds as a result. “He saved my life. After he saw that I was ok he went out to kill the terrorist and then returned (to) a seriously injured soldier. In another incident Ofek stopped me from touching a booby-trapped weapon and, as a result, saved my life.”
