IDF Brigade Commander Denies Discharge Vacation Days to Combat Veterans
Soldiers of the March 2024 cohort in the 401st Brigade face the cancellation of their entitled vacation days by their commander, sparking widespread criticism within the IDF and formal grievances.
Soldiers of the March 2024 induction cohort in the 401st Brigade have fought in Gaza, Lebanon, and once again in Gaza. In a few days, they are scheduled to leave for their discharge leave and begin their civilian lives. A large portion of the soldiers participated in countless battles, and combatants from the brigade's 601st Battalion lost five of their comrades in fighting in Gaza and Lebanon. Despite this, Brigade Commander Col. Yoav Schneider decided to act against the brigade's soldiers and deny them their entitled vacation days.
Schneider wants to maintain force levels in the battalions due to the fact that the brigade failed to properly prepare its manpower in advance of the soldiers' discharge. The brigade commander's conduct runs contrary to the position of the Head of the Manpower Directorate, Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Khalifa, and other officers in the Directorate. "The brigade commander is relying on a clause in General Staff orders stating that it is within his authority to deny vacation days to combat soldiers if he views it as an operational necessity. The commander informed all the brigade's battalion commanders that he authorizes each of them to manage the granting of leaves according to their discretion," a military source said.
Around 20 soldiers from the battalion filed a formal grievance against the brigade commander. They are demanding that the Complaints Commissioner for Soldiers, Brig. Gen. (res.) Rachel Tevet-Wiesel, intervene and order the brigade commander to grant them their rights. Senior officials in the IDF and the Manpower Directorate do not back the brigade commander's conduct. They sharply criticized the manner in which he chose to handle the incident.
"This is a commander who in this case is not looking ahead. These soldiers will be discharged in a few weeks. They will enter civilian life with a bad feeling that the IDF 'cheated' them and deprived them of their rights. And then what? Will they report for reserve duty with motivation? Will they even report for reserve duty at all? What did the IDF gain from this matter? You cause a soldier who has fought for nearly three years to leave service with a bad feeling that the system and the commanders took away his rights," a military source stated.
In recent days, the Manpower Directorate contacted the brigade commander to understand the rationale behind his decision. The Directorate was dissatisfied with the position presented by Schneider and the fact that he utilized a clause in General Staff orders meant for security emergencies in order to prevent granting leaves to the combatants.
