Israeli soldier dismissed for protesting

One of the Israeli soldiers who raised a banner protesting the evacuation of Jewish settlements has been dismissed from the military.

The other soldier identified in the incident was removed from the hesder program, which allows religious men to combine Torah study and military service. He will now be required to serve the full three years of service rather than 16 months.

In October, the two soldiers disrupted their swearing-in ceremony at the Western Wall by unfurling a banner that read “Shimshon does not evacuate Homesh” to protest the potential removal of West Bank settlements. Immediately following the incident, they were sentenced to 20 days in a military prison and told they could not serve as combat soldiers.

The soldier who was dismissed from the army because he reportedly did not show regret and would not agree not to commit similar acts in the future. — jta