A sergeant in the Israeli army was dismissed from duty when he declared that he will refuse orders to evacuate settlers under the disengagement plan, Israeli sources reported on Wednesday.
The brigade commander dismissed Sergeant Eliav Friedman, resident of Ma’aleh Adomim settlement, after making public his decision which he took following his participation in blocking anti-disengagement protesters in Kfar Maimon last week.
Friedman is a student of yeshiva which agreed with the military enabling their students to enlist in the army after they complete there studies.
The brigade commander told Friedman that he will be facing a disciplinary trial.
Given his background as a settler, Friedman is apparently affected by the psychological campaign being launched by the settlers’ Yesha Council and former chief Rabbis calling on soldiers to refuse military orders related to the evacuation of the settlers in the Gaza Strip and the northern West Bank.
Several soldiers have been tried for refusing to carry out pullout-related military orders in the past couple of months.
The evacuation is slated to start in mid-august, and is expected to last for three weeks. Police and army are planning to deploy some 50,000 soldiers and police officers to deal with violence expected by the settlers, and right-wing protestors.
