After the Mutiny at Sde Teiman: Soldiers of the Tzabar Battalion to Attend 'Processing Seminar' | First Report
The commander of the 162nd Division, Brig. Gen. Shagiv Cohen, decided that the Tzabar Battalion will return from leave on Monday and undergo 'combat processing' at a hotel in Jerusalem, following the mutiny at Sde Teiman. The processing will include conversations with counselors and mental health officers. Tensions persist due to the punishment: 14 soldiers were sentenced to 30 days in prison and removed from combat service, and 80 received lenient punishment.
The commander of the 162nd Division, Brig. Gen. Shagiv Cohen, decided today (Saturday) that the Tzabar Battalion will return from leave on Monday and undergo 'combat processing' at a hotel in Jerusalem, following the mutiny in the Givati Brigade in which hundreds of soldiers fled the Sde Teiman base. The processing will include conversations with organizational counselors and mental health officers, during which soldiers in need of targeted assistance will be identified. According to sergeants in the brigade, tensions still prevail between the soldiers and the command staff due to the severe punishment: 14 of the mutiny leaders were sentenced to 30 days in prison and removed from combat service, and two more are expected to be tried. The IDF chose lenient punishment for 80 additional soldiers. The background to the mutiny: the staff decided to destroy symbols placed in the companies, and the battalion commander insisted despite the soldiers' opposition. One of the servicemen told Walla that a commander used a 5 kg hammer to destroy a symbol. It has not yet been decided whether the soldiers will be released for leave until Monday or remain at the base.