Combat soldiers from Battalion 932 of the Nahal Brigade abandoned their base on the Golan Heights on Sunday after their comrades were sentenced to 20 days in military prison for refusing an order. In objection to the punishment received by their comrades, the soldiers decided to express their solidarity by simultaneously leaving their posts. They returned to the base of their own volition shortly thereafter. The soldiers said the decision came against the backdrop of the problematic dynamic between senior and junior soldiers in the battalion, and treatment by their company commander. The IDF said that soldiers close to their discharge date had refused to carry out certain orders, such as cleaning bathrooms and guard duty, claiming they were too senior to be tasked with such assignments. After arriving late to roll call, 11 soldiers were court-martialed by battalion commander Lt. Col. Yoav Katznelson. Their comrades, all "younger" than them by one or two draft intakes, abandoned the base in response. Upon returning to base a short while later, they were gathered for a discussion by Katznelson. At this stage it still has not been decided whether they will be court-martialed. The IDF Spokesperson's Unit released a statement saying: "On [Sunday] morning, several combat soldiers from the 'Granite' Battalion were sentenced to 20 days in military prison after refusing to carry out tasks they were assigned. The soldiers' conduct is grave and stands in stark contrast to the army's standing orders, which forbid discrimination based on seniority." The Nahal Brigade recently concluded several months of operational duty along the northern border with Lebanon and Syria. The brigade is now beginning several weeks of training on the Golan Heights. IDF officials said problems involving seniority were typical of transitional phases between operational duty and training.
