Israel Matzav: Bieber says he was barred from Second Lebanon War

Bieber says he was barred from Second Lebanon War

IDF soldier Avi Bieber (who made aliya from the same town in the US as I did), who was sentenced to the maximum prison sentence for refusing to follow an order to expel Jews from Gaza, has told Arutz Sheva that he was barred from serving in combat during the Second Lebanon War.

Israeli soldier Avi Bieber, who became famous for refusing to uproot Jews from Gaza in 2005, says he was not allowed to fight in the Second Lebanon War a year later. Interviewed by Our Land of Israel, Bieber - who is currently the deputy chairman of the student union at Kinneret College - he called the officer of his city and asked to be inducted during the war, but the army did not return his call.

Bieber said he was told by a nurse at Hadassah Hospital that hundreds of soldiers required psychological treatment because of the Disengagement from Gaza. He also said he would be in favor of a law allowing soldiers not to carry out orders to which they had ideological arguments.

The problem is that you really can't run an army where everyone decides for himself what orders he wants to carry out. Turn the plate over: Imagine if a Leftist soldier refused to go with his unit to Judea and Samaria (which has happened) or refused to stop 'Palestinians' at checkpoints because it invades their privacy. Do we really want that happening? The Rightists will handle all actions against the 'Palestinians' and the Leftists will expel Jews from their homes?

On the other hand, even if one accepts the validity of Israel expelling Jews from their homes (which I do not), it ought not to be the army's job. That's a police action.

In any event, I don't believe Bieber should have been barred from the Second Lebanon War if he wanted to serve. One thing has nothing to do with the other. The Gaza expulsion was an extraordinary situation. In fact, Bieber never should have been put in the position of having to refuse an order in the first place. Most of the IDF soldiers who felt it was wrong went to their commanders and were given other assignments (although there were a few commanders who refused that request and the soldiers refused their orders - Bieber was the first).

Israel Matzav: Bieber says he was barred from Second Lebanon War