Slippery Slope

A soldier serving in the Golani Brigade posted a status to his facebook page expressing joy at the deaths of 14 Palestinian pilgrims in a car accident. (Haaretz)

(Hebrew – Haaretz)

According to residents and observers in the city of Hebron, the treatment of Palestinians by IDF soldiers has deteriorated since the Golani brigade took control of the area in December. According to residents and observers, this deterioration includes prolonged and spiteful delays at military barriers that connect the part of the city where Jewish settlers live and the other parts of Hebron (H1), insistence on searching children’s school bags, bothering children returning from school, beating people, and detaining activists.

(Hebrew)

Azaria Tena, a Golani brigade soldier from the settlement of Itamar, was arrested alongside two girls in suspicion of carrying out “Price Tag” attacks in the village of Lubban al-Sharqiya in the west bank. The three were recorded spraying “Muhammad is a pig” and “revenge”, and vandalizing bags of cement. Later on, a conflict erupted between them and the people of the village, and Tena threatened the Palestinians using his military rifle. He admitted to having carried out these actions.

(Hebrew)

Over the weekend, approximately 20 fighters from the Golani Brigade’s Reconnaissance Battalion were asked to don berets and listen to a lesson inside a military base by a non-military Rabbi.

Channel 2 News reported that dozens of Golani soldiers removed their army uniform shirts to reveal T-shirts bearing the slogan: “Golani fight enemies and do not evict Jews”.

(Hebrew )

Three Soldiers serving as drivers in the Golani brigade were arrested under suspicion of being involved in stealing four LAW rockets from the IDF post in Mount Hermon. One of the soldiers got caught while selling a rocket for 40 thousand NIS.

(Hebrew)