_a.jpg "Photo: Gil Yohanan")
Clashes in Amona
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Anti-IDF evacuee discharged
Young Gush Katif evacuee found mentally unfit for army service after writing letter to superiors saying he was disgusted by IDF following evacuation of Amona
A 22-years-old solider was discharged from the IDF after he wrote a letter to his superiors to express his disgust with the army's conduct during the evacuation of Gush Katif and the illegal outpost of Amona.
"The sight of the uniform makes me feel nauseated. I despise the army and hate it with all my heart. This is a cruel and insensitive army," he wrote.
The young man, an evacuee from Gush Katif, left his studies at a yeshiva a short while ago and decided to rejoin the army's ranks. However, following the violent clashes in Amona he came to the conclusion he wanted to leave the IDF.
"I refuse to get run over by the military system once again," he wrote in his letter, demanding that he be recognized as unfit for service "due to the implications of the ruin and destruction in Amona."
"In light of the vicious eviction and the relentless, undemocratic persecutions carried out by the IDF… I feel I cannot stay in a political army that acts on the immoral orders of politicians," he wrote.
In the letter, the soldier warned that should he not be released for duty, "I would not keep my mouth shut until every soldier and officer knows how corrupt and immoral the military system is."
'This will explode in the army's face'
In a particularly disturbing section of the letter, the young evacuee alluded to the case of soldier Eden Natan Zada, who murdered four Israeli-Arabs in Shfaram using his personal military weapon.
"I forewarn the army that if it doesn't release me, this would explode in the IDF's face… I do not pledge to maintain the purity of arms and not break the rules," he stated.
The army, meanwhile, decided to refer the soldier to a mental health officer, who diagnosed him as mentally unfit to serve in the army.
Infuriated by this decision, the solider claimed that "the IDF took the easy way out," by not responding to his questions and addressing his problems.
"The easiest thing is to treat me as a lunatic, instead of dealing with my complaints. Had they let me go on grounds of unsuitability, a lot of soldiers who feel the same way would step forward."
An army spokesman said in response: "The medical treatment given the soldier was conducted according to orders. The soldier was released on medical grounds, and the right of privacy prohibits the army from providing details on the matter. The soldier is entitled to appeal."
