The findings of the investigation into the incident and the command recommendations following the incident in which an IDF soldier was recorded damaging a Christian religious symbol in a Christian village in southern Lebanon were presented last night (Monday) to the commander of Division 162, Brigadier General Sagiv Dahan.
The event caused a stir in the Christian world and damaged the image of the IDF and the State of Israel.
The findings of the investigation indicate that, as part of an IDF force's activity in the Christian village of Debel in southern Lebanon, the soldier involved damaged a Christian religious symbol while another soldier was taking the photo that was distributed.
Six other soldiers were present at the incident and did not act to stop him or report him.
The investigation determined that "the soldiers' conduct completely violated army orders and IDF procedures.".
According to a statement from the IDF spokesman, "The IDF expresses deep regret over the incident and emphasizes that its activity in Lebanon is against the terrorist organization Hezbollah and other terrorist elements, and not against Lebanese citizens. From the moment the report of the incident was received, the Northern Command has been working to assist the village community in replacing the statue.".
The division commander received the findings of the investigation and the commanders' recommendations.
According to the decision, the soldier who damaged the Christian religious symbol and the soldier who photographed it were removed from combat, and were also each sentenced to 30 days in prison.
The remaining soldiers who stood by were summoned for exploratory talks to be held later, after which a decision will be made on further handling of the command delegations.
An IDF spokesman noted that "procedures regarding dealing with religious institutions and symbols were systematically sharpened for the forces before they entered the relevant areas, and were sharpened again for all forces in the sector following the incident.".
The findings of the investigation were also presented to the Chief of Staff and the Commander of the Northern Command. "The Chief of Staff condemned the incident and determined that it was improper behavior and a failure of values, which exceeds by every measure the values of the IDF and the behavior expected of its fighters.".
An IDF spokesman said that an investigation revealed that as part of an IDF force's activity in the Christian village of Debel in southern Lebanon, a soldier damaged a Christian religious symbol while another soldier was taking the photo that was distributed. Six additional soldiers were present at the event and did not act to stop him or report him.
The investigation determined that the soldiers' conduct completely violated army orders and IDF procedures.
The IDF expresses deep regret over the incident and emphasizes that its activities in Lebanon are against the terrorist organization Hezbollah and other terrorist elements, and not against Lebanese citizens.
From the moment the report of the incident was received, the Northern Command has been working to assist the village community in replacing the statue.
The division commander received the findings of the investigation and the commanders' recommendations.
Accordingly, the soldier who damaged the Christian religious symbol and the soldier who photographed it were removed from combat, and were each sentenced to 30 days in prison. The remaining soldiers who stood by were summoned for further interrogations, after which a decision will be made on further handling by command delegations.
Procedures regarding dealing with religious institutions and symbols were systematically refined for the forces before they entered the relevant areas, and were refined again for all forces in the sector following the event.
The findings of the investigation were presented to the Chief of Staff and the Commander of the Northern Command.
The Chief of Staff condemned the incident and stated that it was improper behavior and a failure of values, which by all standards exceeds the IDF's values and the behavior expected of its fighters.
