Reserve Colonel Yoni Shtabon criticized Givati soldiers who he said rebelled and left the Sde Teiman base, telling them 'you don't impress anyone' and calling their actions a 'disgrace.'
Reserve Colonel Yoni Shtabon, a veteran of the Second Lebanon War, criticized Givati Brigade soldiers on Thursday, calling their unauthorized departure from the Sde Teiman base a 'disgrace' and accusing them of rebellion. The incident began earlier Thursday afternoon when over 100 soldiers from the Tzabar battalion left the base without authorization after their battalion commander broke unit morale plates, according to IDF reports.
The IDF confirmed at 13:30 Jerusalem that soldiers had left the base without authorization after the commander removed signs related to a non-normative unit tradition. Subsequent reports, including from Ynet and i24NEWS, described the event as a revolt and documented weapons left behind. The IDF stated the incident is under investigation and contradicts military values. The battalion commander’s breaking of morale plates was reported as the immediate trigger for the mass departure.
Shtabon, who served as a reserve colonel, previously marked 20 years since the Second Lebanon War in July with a warning to Israeli decision-makers, as The Zioneer reported on July 14. His sharp criticism adds to the debate over military discipline and the role of the Sde Teiman facility, which has been used as a detention center during the war.
The IDF investigation is ongoing. The full circumstances and motivations for the soldiers' actions, as well as the battalion commander's decision to remove the signs and break the morale plates, remain under review.
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