Transportation Minister Miri Regev said she "understands" IDF fighters who claim they will refuse call-ups following the suspension of soldiers who recited the 'Shema Yisrael' prayer at a Jenin mosque, quotes from Sunday's cabinet meeting reported by KAN News revealed.
After footage circulated on social media of soldiers reciting the prayer and playing it through the microphone used for the Muslim call to prayer, the IDF suspended the forces involved from all operational activities.
"The soldiers' conduct in the video is unacceptable and contradicts the IDF's core values," the IDF said, adding that they will also be disciplined accordingly."
On Sunday, Regev claimed that she had heard about calls by troops in Jenin to refuse service in support of the suspended soldiers.
"The military must learn to contain these incidents," Regev was quoted as saying at the cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. "Even if they made a mistake."
Smotrch: Ministers should not encourage calls for IDF refusal
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded to Regev's claims, stating that ministers "should not encourage calls for refusal in any way, shape or form." Regev responded: "This is not a refusal to serve.
"The IDF needed to deal with this incident delicately," she continued, arguing that the Israeli military should have refrained from suspending the soldiers involved.