Fewer soldiers refusing to serve in territories

[Gimel]

There has been a dramatic fall in the number of soldiers refusing to serve in the territories, the head of the Israel Defense Forces' Manpower division told the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee on Tuesday. Major General Gil Regev said that in 2002, 100 reservists and 29 officers were jailed for refusing to serve in the territories. In comparison, in 2003, just 18 reserve soldiers and 8 officers were imprisoned.

Regev said that many of the pilots who demonstrated last year against serving in the territories and backed a group of high-ranking pilots in their public refusal to serve in the territories, do not even serve in the Israel Air Force today. He said that of the 27 pilots who refused to serve, 15 no longer have to do reserve duty, 2 or 3 have taken back their public declarations and the remainder have been dismissed from reserve duty by the air force commander.

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473 military police probes since start of intifada

The committee also heard on Tuesday from the Judge Advocate General, Mayor General Menachem Finkelstein who said that since the start of the second intifada in September 2000, the military police has launched 473 probes against soldiers. A total of 194 investigations involved violence against Palestinians, 171 were for alleged property crimes, 71 for unnecessarily opening fire and 38 for other alleged crimes.

Finkelstein said that a total of 65 indictments have so far been filed against soldiers, 30 for property crimes, 20 for violent crimes and 15 for shooting a Palestinian to death or causing grievous injuries. Eighteen of the cases involve soldiers' operations at roadblocks. He said that the heaviest punishments handed down so far were 9-10 months imprisonment for violent abuse of Palestinians and beating detainees.
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/390329.html

[democract]

1. Understandable

after the harsh sentences they doled out. Conscience comes with a high pricetag.

[Gimel]

2. Dismissal

doesn't seem like a harsh sentence.

:shrug:

[el_gato]

3. dismissal?

"100 reservists and 29 officers were jailed for refusing to serve in the territories"

from your article

[Gimel]

4. Number doesn't equal harshness

The length of the jail term is not mentioned, but it is usually about a month for first offense. Each new beforehand the consequences, so I don't think that is the real cause for the drop to just 18 in 2003 for reservists and 8 officers.

The violence has abated from the 2002 level. That is the real reason for fewer refusing to serve.