BICOM

IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz yesterday ordered an investigation into a widespread protest via social media by Israeli soldiers unhappy at a perceived lack of support from authorities over difficult decisions which they face in the West Bank on a regular basis.

The furore was sparked by a video posted online of a soldier from the Nahal infantry brigade, who was filmed cocking his gun at a Palestinian teenager who confronted him in Hebron. Reports followed that the soldier, David Admov had been dismissed and imprisoned over the incident. As a result, tens of thousands of fellow IDF soldiers have posted picture messages of support for “David from Nahal” via social media, obscuring their faces to avoid punishment.

The unprecedented campaign has been referred to in the Israeli media as a “digital rebellion.” The huge number of protestors is viewed as a reflection of widespread dissatisfaction among soldiers over the IDF’s overall policy of restraint in the West Bank, which they believe has become overly lenient so as to prevent them from protecting themselves. A Facebook page in support of Admov also said that soldiers are sick of having their hands tied when dealing with Palestinian provocateurs in the West Bank.

The social media protest, which has been a major item in the Israeli media this week, prompted IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz to announce yesterday an investigation into the incident involving Admov and the subsequent support for him. Gantz said, “It’s important that we remember and tell our subordinates in a clear manner that Facebook is not a command tool … it is not a replacement or even a parallel channel for dialogue between commanders and their soldiers.”

In addition, an IDF spokesman Moti Almoz yesterday said that Admov’s military incarceration was not a result of the Hebron incident, but rather, “He was convicted of using violence against his commanding officer for the second time.”