Punishment for soldiers who refused to board a Namer APC with a female paramedic: 10 days in military prison

Three Givati soldiers who refused to board a medical evacuation Namer APC where a female paramedic was present were tried today and sentenced to 10 days in military prison. The soldiers refused, according to them, in accordance with the instructions of their rabbis, and additional soldiers from the unit are expected to stand trial and be punished.

The incident is causing a stir regarding the integration of military orders and the religious restrictions of observant soldiers. According to details that reached News 14, the refusal concerned boarding the vehicle where the female paramedic was present and not the execution of the operational mission itself.

Rabbi Dror Aryeh harshly attacked the decision to send the soldiers to prison:

"This is unprecedented chutzpah. The Minister of Defense failed to protect dedicated fighters from progressive madness."

According to him, the soldiers are heroes and prison will not break them. He described them as a "pillar of fire before the camp" and stated they will be remembered for generations as winners in this story.

Rabbi Aryeh further claimed that it was the commanders who acted against regulations:

"Their commanders acted against Halacha and against orders. Those who should have been tried are the commanders who violated the regulations."

He added that in his view, military orders do not allow forcing an observant soldier to perform a mission when there is a fear of physical contact with a female soldier: "According to the military order, if there is a fear of contact between a soldier and a female soldier, it is impossible to force an observant soldier to perform a mission."