The IDF is court-martialing a Givati Brigade company commander in the Northern Command for dumping urine on his soldiers’ clothes in an attempt to discipline them.
Earlier, some of the IDF soldiers at a forward position – where presumably there was no bathroom – had urinated in bottles and thrown the bottles behind the post.
Their actions angered their commander, who retaliated by dumping the urine from their bottles all over their room, clothing, and belongings, causing a nasty stench among other problems.
The IDF responded to the incident, first reported by KAN news, saying, “the grave incident is inconsistent with IDF values and with the standards expected from soldiers and commanders in the IDF.”
“The incident is being probed in a deep and comprehensive way, and upon the probe’s completion, disciplinary actions will be taken according to the findings. The battalion commander has conducted a discussion with the company soldiers and commanders and clarified the severity of the conduct,” said the IDF.
According to the IDF Spokesperson’s Office, until the court martial takes place, the company commander has not been suspended.
Expectations for IDF soldiers in forward positions
The IDF spokesperson was also unclear as to what are the expectations for soldiers regarding urinating while manning the forward position.
Some IDF posts have bathrooms, some have temporary stalls without running water, and some have no facilities, requiring urinating in the field or other methods defined by the commanders at the scene.
IDF pilots do use bottles for urination on longer flight missions, such as to Iran or Yemen.