IDF Recruit Arrested for Protesting General, Later Released

Police arrested an IDF recruit demonstrating against Major General Avi Bluth at the entrance to the Central Command base in Jerusalem on Monday. The soldier, who is in basic training, held signs reading "Stop Administrative Orders" and "Avi Bluth - Stop Persecuting Tal Yinon Dardik." IDF officials called the police to the scene.

The soldier was taken for questioning at the Neve Yaakov police station. Following legal intervention by the Honenu organization, the soldier was released shortly thereafter. Attorney Daniel Shimshilashvili, representing the soldier for Honenu, stated that Bluth's actions towards Tal Yinon Dardik are outrageous and provoke protest. He added that if the "harassment" of Dardik continues, more protesters will emerge, unwilling to accept what he called "selective enforcement and severe discrimination against pioneers of the settlement movement."

Shimshilashvili argued that the soldier protested legally and that the police erred in arresting him. He asserted that a soldier protesting legally should be treated the same as any other soldier permitted to demonstrate when protests are from "the right side," and that they would ensure the soldier's right to protest is upheld.