Kfir soldier dismissed from military

Soldier held anti-evacuation banner; collaborator ousted from combat service, banished from hesder.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
The commander of the IDF's Meitav Induction Base has decided to dismiss from military service one of the two Kfir Brigade soldiers who held a banner reading 'Shimshon does not evacuate Homesh' during a swearing-in ceremony in October 2009, Army Radio reported overnight Monday.
According to the radio station, Col. Gadi Agmon's move came after the soldier did not express remorse and refused to commit to abstain from similar activity in the future.
Another soldier tried over the incident will be removed from combat service as well as from the hesder program, and will have to do a full three years of service, rather than the abbreviated 16- month hesder stint.
The pair's actions caused an uproar in the military and political echelon among those who feared the outburst of a widespread movement of insubordination, specifically by right-wing soldiers opposing utilizing the IDF for what they consider politically motivated actions such as evacuating Jewish settlements.
Others, such as MKs Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) and former IDF chief medical officer Aryeh Eldad (National Union), placed the blame for the phenomenon on those who issued the controversial orders, and drafted a bill that would forbid using IDF soldiers to assist in the forcible evacuation of Jews.
The two soldiers were also sentenced to 30 days in military jail for their offense.