IDF Chief of Staff catches soldier with 'Messiah' patch, sentenced to 30 days
The Jerusalem Post • • world
Key Points:
- An IDF soldier was sentenced to 30 days in military prison after being caught wearing a "Messiah" patch on his uniform by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir during a West Bank tour.
- Additional disciplinary actions included a suspended 14-day detention for the platoon commander, a reprimand for the company commander, and a formal mark on the battalion commander's record.
- Soldiers had been pre-warned about Zamir's visit and instructed to maintain discipline and adhere to military orders.
- Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman MK Boaz Bismuth criticized the punishment as "grave and scandalous," questioning whether external pressures influenced the decision and calling for the soldier’s release.
- MK Tally Gotliv also condemned the sentence, suggesting that the Chief of Staff’s decision was a severe misjudgment warranting his removal.