IDF soldier sentenced to 10 days in prison and removed from combat for smoking on Shabbat

A soldier in the Netzah Yehuda battalion was sentenced to ten days in military prison and removed from combat duty for smoking a cigarette on Shabbat. The soldier, who comes from a Haredi background, was about a month away from discharge after more than two and a half years of fighting in Gaza and Lebanon. Those close to him criticized the punishment as disproportionate. The IDF has not yet responded.

A soldier in the Netzah Yehuda battalion was sentenced to ten days in military prison and removed from combat duty for smoking a cigarette on Shabbat. This was reported this evening (Tuesday) in the Kan News broadcast. The soldier, who has a Haredi background, is about a month away from his discharge from the IDF, after having fought in Gaza and Lebanon for more than two years. Those close to the soldier criticized the decision, saying it was a "disproportionate punishment." The IDF has not yet responded to Kan News' request for comment. The affair raises questions about the enforcement of Shabbat rules in the IDF, especially for soldiers with a Haredi background, and about the proportionality of punishment.