GOI/IDF ADDRESS SOLDIER INSUBORDINATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 002498

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/17/2019
TAGS: PREL MOPS KWBG IS
SUBJECT: GOI/IDF ADDRESS SOLDIER INSUBORDINATION

Classified By: A/DCM Marc Sievers, reasons 1.4 (b),(d)


1. (C) Summary: The Israel Defense Force (IDF) and GOI
responded quickly to yet another soldiers' demonstration on
November 16 protesting against outpost evacuations in the
West Bank. Israeli media outlets report that the IDF may
examine further the "hesder" program combining yeshiva
religious studies and military service, suggesting that IDF
soldiers may have been encouraged by their rabbis to
demonstrate. Public reaction to the demonstration crosses
the spectrum -- from concern over the growing influence of
religion and the IDF's potential politicization, to support
for the soldiers' insubordination. End summary.

Another Soldier Demonstration
--------------


2. (SBU) On November 16, six soldiers from the Kfir Brigade's
Nahshon Battalion protested against outpost evacuations by
waving a banner from a building rooftop on their base stating
"Nahshon does not expel either." The soldiers' demonstration
took place shortly after the Border Police razed two illegal
homes in the Negohot outpost in the southern Hebron hills.
Two of the protesting soldiers hail from settlements, and
serve in the IDF via the "hesder" program, which combines
yeshiva religious studies and military service.


3. (SBU) As the IDF's largest brigade, the Kfir Brigade is
permanently deployed in the West Bank. In October 2009, two
soldiers from Kfir's Shimshon Battalion displayed a protest
banner during their swearing-in ceremony at Jerusalem's
Western Wall. The banner stated that "Shimshon does not
evacuate Homesh," a reference to the northern Samaria
settlement evacuated during the 2005 disengagement. The two
Shimshon soldiers were expelled from the brigade and
sentenced to 20 days in military prison. In August 2007, 12
soldiers from the Kfir Brigade's Duchifat Battalion refused
to provide perimeter security during the planned evacuation
of a home in Hebron overtaken by settlers.

Swift IDF/GOI Response
--------------


4. (SBU) The IDF reacted swiftly to the Nahshon
demonstration; on November 16, two of the soldiers were
sentenced to 30 days in military prison, dismissed from the
unit, and demoted from the rank of sergeant to corporal. On
November 17, the remaining four soldiers were tried: one
soldier was sentenced to 21 days in the stockade and denied
any command position; a second was sentenced to 14 days in
military prison, while the last two soldiers were confined to
their base for four weeks.


5. (SBU) Israeli media widely reported that the IDF high
command issued strong messages to the Nahshon soldiers'
rabbis. According to mainstream Israeli newspaper Yedioth
Ahronoth, IDF officers made known that the IDF will boycott
yeshivas that support "rebels" in uniform. Israel Radio
quoted high-ranking officers stating that the IDF would cease
its arrangement with hesder yeshivas combining religious
studies and military service -- and their pupils would be
drafted into regular military service -- if it became clear
that hesder yeshiva rabbis had encouraged soldiers to disobey
orders.


6. (SBU) IDF Spokesman Brigadier General Avi Benayahu said
the recent demonstrations by Kfir soldiers should not be seen
as a "political torrent." He cautioned against the notion
that the IDF was "losing all control," noting that the
military had managed similar cases in the past from all sides
of the political spectrum -- and that ultimately, "common
sense had prevailed." BG Benayahu acknowledged that several
IDF officers had called for a wider examination of the hesder
yeshivas' relationship with the IDF -- but no decision has
been made on the subject.


7. (SBU) During a visit to a military base in Haifa on
November 17, PM Netanyahu noted that Israel's security and
existence are dependent upon the IDF. He said "there is no
place for disobedience," and that the GOI will "employ a
method to eradicate it." IDF Chief of General Staff LTG
Ashkenazi also noted that the IDF is dealing with the
demonstrations "with a firm hand."

Others Weigh In
--------------


8. (U) Yedioth Ahronoth's military analyst Alex Fishman
examined the implications of the soldiers' demonstrations in
a November 17 column, alleging there is "political mutiny in
the air," and arguing that a "few days in the stockade" as
punishment indicates there is "no law, no judge and nobody
enforces any law in the territories." He speculates that

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army protests today will be "expressed in acts tomorrow," and
that LTG Ashkenazi must "put an end to this, even in a brutal
fashion" to prevent the politicization of the IDF.


9. (U) Elazar Stern, a major general in the reserves who has
served as the director of the IDF's Human Resources Branch,
stressed in a November 17 Yedioth Ahronoth op-ed the
importance of responding firmly to the demonstration,
especially as these soldiers "enjoy a support system" for
their actions. He noted that there are many religious
soldiers in the IDF, the absolute majority of whom understand
the military's responsibilities in a democratic society. It
is these "mature" soldiers who will "pay the price" for such
demonstrations, Stern said.


10. (SBU) According to Israeli press reports, lawmakers from
PM Netanyahu's Likud Party and the right-wing National Union
are in the process of proposing a bill preventing the IDF
from forcing soldiers to evacuate West Bank settlements
against their will. The bill was drafted by Members of the
Knesset (MKs) Tzipi Hotovely and Aryeh Eldad; 15 MKs from
both the government coalition and the opposition have
indicated their support for the bill -- but it is highly
unlikely to go very far in the Knesset.


11. (U) Rabbi Elyakim Levanon, the principal of the hesder
yeshiva where the two Nahshon soldiers studied, supported the
demonstration, saying "the step the soldiers took is a step
that every soldier takes when an attempt is made to coerce
him, contrary to his faith, and drag him into politics."
Independent mainstream Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv reported
November 17 that several right wing organizations --
including the Task Force for the People and the Land -- have
offered the Nahshon soldiers NIS 1,100 for every day spent in
military prison.

COMMENT
--------------


12. (C) The recent spate of demonstrations by IDF soldiers
protesting against outpost evacuations highlights the growing
influence of religion in the IDF -- and the potential for
politicization. IDF sources have expressed concern to
emboffs regarding the rising number of IDF officers who hail
from settlements. Already this week, the IDF faced alleged
statements made by the IDF's chief rabbi Brigadier General
Avichai Rontzki at a hesder yeshiva in the West Bank that
soldiers who "show mercy" to the enemy in wartime will be
"damned"; BG Rontzki claimed his comments were taken out of
context. These demonstrations may signal a shift in
right-wing activity from attacks on Palestinians to protests
in the IDF ranks. The rapid and vocal response by the IDF
and GOI suggest the demonstrations are being taken seriously;
IDF CHOD LTG Ashkenazi values discipline and has no patience
for insubordination.
CUNNINGHAM