TEL AVIV - Six religious soldiers serving in the Givati Brigade who had refused to join the forces that closed off the Gaza Strip were sentenced Wednesday to 21 days in a military prison.
Earlier Wednesday, soldiers in Givati's Rotem regiment were asked to assist in closing off the strip to non-residents. When the order was given, at least six soldiers announced they were refusing it and were unwilling to take part in the operation.
The Rotem regiment, comprised of soldiers who have enlisted into the IDF in August 2004, includes many hesder yeshiva students.
The hesder yeshiva arrangement allows students to combine religious studies with military service.
IDF Southern Command Head Dan Harel confirmed in a briefing to reporters that six soldiers refused to take part in closing off the Strip.
"We will address those six soldiers exactly the way we handled the 30 people who refused an order earlier," he said. "We'll implement our policy, which doesn't accept either right-wing or left-wing insubordination."
A soldier in the regiment told Ynet the troops were told to block roads as part of the operation in Gaza. The insubordinate soldiers are expected to be tried in the coming hours, he said.
'Insubordination will not be tolerated'
IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz said regarding the insubordination, "We will continue to carry out the same policy whereby each insubordinate soldier will be tried and sentenced."
"We will not allow the insubordination phenomenon to spread, even if this would mean closing down IDF units containing insubordinate soldiers," he said.
When asked for his reaction to right-wing leaders' criticism against him regarding his stance on insubordination, Halutz said, "I suggest that the entire Israeli nation, including its leaders, would give the IDF the necessary support and keep it out of the political game."
"We must carry out the decisions of the government and Knesset. Our brothers, not an enemy, are standing before us," he said. "The calls for insubordination are undermining Israel's democratic essence. We will not pardon insubordination."
Halutz said the IDF does not plan on closing down the hesder yeshivas despite the fact that some of them have expressed their support for insubordination.
"I have never said the hesder yeshivas should be dismantled," he said. "The few yeshivas that call on their soldiers to refuse orders will have to justify their actions to themselves."
'Israel's heroes salvaging IDF's honor'
Meanwhile, anti-pullout group "A Jew doesn't expel a Jew" welcomed the insubordination announcement.
"Israel's Heroes are salvaging the IDF's honor," the group said. "The insubordination wave will turn into a tsunami that would wash off the blatantly illegal expulsion order."
First published: 13:48, 07.13.5