IDF Commander Dismissed for Praying with Settler Rioters

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has concluded its investigation into a video showing soldiers praying alongside settlers who had established an outpost and blockaded a Palestinian home in the West Bank village of Qusra. The commander of the reserve unit involved has been dismissed from his command position, though he will be allowed to remain in the army in a non-command role.

According to the investigation, the commander and three other soldiers were tasked with securing the area and preventing friction. However, settlers from the outpost asked the soldiers to complete a prayer quorum. The commander agreed, and he and two other soldiers prayed at the outpost, an act captured on video from a distance.

The footage later circulated internationally, with claims that the IDF was cooperating with the settlers instead of evacuating them. Following the video's release, the commander was suspended, and the decision has now been made to remove him from command duties.

The IDF investigation differentiated between the commander and the other soldiers, who received no punishment. The military stated that the reserve force acted under the commander's instructions, which deviated from expectations and directives. The soldiers' mission was to maintain separation between populations and avoid actions that could be interpreted as support for illegal activity at the outpost, which had caused damage.

The IDF emphasized that the severity of the incident lay in the cooperation with law-breaking civilians. However, since the soldiers followed their commander's orders, no action was taken against them.