IDF confiscates guns of Golani rebels who walked out of West Bank base

The soldiers said they were treated poorly by their commanders and were in some cases ordered to shower with their uniforms on.

By YAAKOV KATZ
golani soldiers 88 dotz (photo credit: )
golani soldiers 88 dotz
(photo credit: )
The IDF said Thursday that it will take disciplinary action against 15 soldiers from the Golani Brigade who staged a mini-rebellion late Wednesday night and stormed out of their base in the West Bank. The soldiers said they were treated poorly by their commanders and were in some cases ordered to shower with their uniforms on. The soldiers, from Battalion 12, are currently stationed near the settlement of Itamar, southeast of Nablus. News of the rebellion came as Col. Avi Peled took up command of the Golani Brigade in a ceremony in the Northern Command. The soldiers left the base, boarded a bus and went home. Late at night, one of the company's officers came to their homes and confiscated their weapons. The last major rebellion in Golani came in March 2007, when close to 100 soldiers from Battalion 51 walked out the front gate of the Tze'elim training base in the Negev and began marching up the road toward Beersheba in one of the largest "revolts" in IDF history. Then, too, the soldiers complained of unfair treatment by their officers. The IDF said it viewed Wednesday's incident "gravely" and that the soldiers would face disciplinary charges.