Givati Brigade's Tzabar Battalion will be made to take part in a combat processing program after returning from leave, decided Brig.-Gen. Sagiv Cohen, commander of the IDF's 162nd Division.
The decision follows last week's walkout by soldiers of the Givati Brigade, during which hundreds of troops left the Sde Teiman base after a dispute with senior command staff.
The program will focus primarily on discussions with organizational consultants and mental health officers, during which soldiers will have space to share their combat experiences.
As part of the program, soldiers requiring targeted assistance and individual treatment will also be identified.
According to soldiers in the brigade, tensions remain high between the soldiers and the command staff, mainly due to the severe disciplinary measures imposed on them following the incident, which included removing soldiers from combat duty and revoking their combat service certificates.
Such certificates entitle recipients to numerous benefits after their military service.
The soldiers are now hoping senior commanders will reconsider those decisions and review them carefully.
A decision has not yet been made on whether they will be released home on Sunday until the processing workshop on Monday or remain at the base for further discussions aimed at easing tensions.
Soldiers from Sde Teiman walk out following dispute with commanders
Hundreds of soldiers from the Givati Brigade’s Tzabar Battalion walked out of the Sde Teiman military base on Thursday following a dispute with senior commanders.
According to soldiers in the brigade, senior commanders decided to destroy and remove insignias that had been displayed in the battalion’s companies, with the battalion commander reportedly insisting that the insignias be removed despite opposition from the soldiers.
When the two sides failed to reach an agreement, the soldiers left their unit and walked out of the base.
“One of the commanders used a five-kilogram hammer to destroy one of the insignias,” one of the people serving in the unit told Walla.
On Friday night, 14 soldiers identified as having led the walkout were sentenced to 30 days in military prison and removed from combat service. Two additional soldiers, also considered among the leaders of the incident, returned to the base only later that night and will face disciplinary proceedings at a later date.
One soldier has yet to report for disciplinary proceedings.
The IDF opted for lighter disciplinary measures for 80 other soldiers who also left the base but later returned.