The IDF has Lost the Plot
The IDF would rather have its soldiers injured by drones than allow this soldier to remain fighting the drones. Make it make sense.
JERUSALEM — A Golani Brigade soldier was removed from combat duty in Lebanon after wearing a Mashiach patch on his uniform during active operations, sparking a heated debate over military discipline and proportionality, Arutz Sheva reported Monday.
The soldier, serving in Battalion 12 in a specialized role handling explosive drones, was pulled from Lebanese territory over Shabbat following the incident. According to the report, the outgoing battalion commander noticed the patch during a Friday afternoon talk with his troops and ordered the soldier to remove it immediately. The soldier complied on the spot. Despite his compliance, a decision was made hours later to remove him from Lebanon, on Shabbat.
The soldier argued during the disciplinary process that his removal constituted an unnecessary desecration of Shabbat with no operational justification. The battalion commander countered that wearing the patch constituted a severe disciplinary offense whose operational implications warranted his immediate removal even on Shabbat.
The head of the pre-military academy where the soldier studied criticized the decision sharply in comments to Arutz Sheva. While acknowledging the importance of military discipline, a position the soldier himself accepts, the rosh mechina argued the response was disproportionate.
"It is not logical to be disproportionately strict in a way that harms the motivation of soldiers who are giving their lives for the people and the land," he said, adding that removing the soldier on Shabbat was not justified given the circumstances.
Fellow soldiers from the unit also condemned the decision, telling Arutz Sheva the move left them with a deep sense of injustice. "It's insane that during such intense combat, the army is dealing with things like this," they said.
We have already lost 18 soldiers in the current fighitng in lebanon, most of whom have been killed by Hezbollah's FPV drones. This doesn't include the hundreds moederately and seriously injured as a result of these drone attacks, many facing life-changing injuries.
But patches are clearly more important than our soldiers.