Israel to Discipline Intel Veterans over Refusal to Spy on Palestinians
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - The Israeli military has threatened disciplinary action against 43 veteran servicemen who signed an open letter refusing to spy on the Palestinians for the Israel army's elite military intelligence Unit 8200.
“There is no room for insubordination in the IDF,” spokesman Moti Almoz said. “There are disputes and (opposing) political positions” but the military is not the place to take political actions designed to schism, he stressed.
“We in the IDF, up to the most senior officer, view this severely, and the disciplinary action will be loud and clear,” Almoz vowed.
The Israel army's statement comes in response to an open letter of refusal that has been sent to the Israeli prime minister, the army chief and the head of military intelligence, RT reported.
In it, 43 past and present reservists openly proclaim that they refuse to serve in military intelligence. In witness testimonies, they detail the strategies used by Israel.
Their particular concern is the methods being used to collect information, among them blackmailing individuals to serve as army informants. “Whether said individual is of a certain sexual orientation, cheating on his wife, or in need of treatment in Israel or the West Bank – he is a target for blackmail,” one testimony reads.
