Smotrich backs Givati soldiers jailed after refusing APC with female paramedic

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has backed religious soldiers from Israel’s Givati Brigade who refused to board a Namer armored personnel carrier with a female paramedic during an operational mission in Gaza.

Smotrich said the soldiers had insisted on serving while preserving their religious values and complying with the military’s Joint Service Order. He said he would seek answers from the Israel Defense Forces about the handling of the incident.

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I support the Givati soldiers who insisted on their right and duty to serve in the IDF while preserving their values and faith and while adhering to the Joint Service Order.

The soldiers were prosecuted in a court-martial rather than through criminal proceedings, according to an IDF source cited indirectly. A second military source confirmed the disciplinary process and said the army was unhappy that details emerged before the verdicts were issued.

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The soldiers have the full backing of the rabbis and directors of the Hesder Yeshivot Association, who examined the issue thoroughly and with the appropriate caution and stand behind the decision.

Smotrich said the soldiers had the backing of rabbis and directors from the Hesder Yeshivot Association, who he said had examined the matter and supported their decision. “I prayed and hoped with all my heart that the IDF would come to its senses and prevent the need for my intervention,” he said.

He added that, as leader of the Religious Zionism party, he could not remain passive and would demand answers from the military.

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I prayed and hoped with all my heart that the IDF would come to its senses and prevent the need for my intervention, but since that did not happen, as the leader of Religious Zionism, I cannot sit idly by, and I will demand answers from the IDF on the matter.