An IDF soldier was sentenced to 30 days in military prison after IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir caught him wearing a "Messiah" patch on his uniform, the military confirmed on Wednesday.
Zamir had been touring the West Bank when he encountered several soldiers who were behaving inappropriately and failing to follow military discipline.
In addition to the soldier sentenced to 30 days of prison, the platoon commander was given a suspended sentence of 14 days detention, the company commander was reprimanded, and the battalion commander was given a formal mark on his record.
The soldiers had been informed in advance of Zamir's visit and instructed to maintain discipline, a formal appearance, and obey all military orders.
MKs object to soldier's punishment
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir criticized the decision to punish the soldier, arguing that the move was excessive and damaging to morale.
“While our heroic and sacred soldiers are fighting on the front lines and risking their lives for the people of Israel, the chief of staff is taking an unnecessary step and sending a self-sacrificing soldier to military prison for wearing a Messiah patch on his uniform.
“This punishment is unnecessary and harms fighting spirit. Even if the chief of staff believes it is inappropriate to wear such a patch, there is no reason for such a severe and disproportionate punishment.”
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman MK Boaz Bismuth (Likud) objected to the punishment of the patch-wearing soldier as well, calling the decision "grave and scandalous."
"Just a year ago, Chief of Staff Zamir expressed himself entirely differently," Bismuth wrote in a post on X/Twitter, referring to a time Zamir said he would not tear patches off soldiers, instead leaving that to officers lower on the chain of command.
"The Chief of Staff must explain what has changed since then, and whether external media and political pressures are being applied to the IDF's senior command that he is unable to withstand. The IDF must maintain discipline, but also fairness," Bismuth said. "Release the soldier now!"
MK Tally Gotliv (Likud) also protested the soldier's detention, saying that "If, because of a messianic patch on the uniforms, the Chief of Staff sends a fighter to 30 days in prison, then for this severe distortion of thinking by the Chief of Staff, I would send him home!"
Tobias Siegal contributed to this report.