IDF Soldier Jailed 20 Days for Protesting Administrative Orders

A religious IDF soldier has been sentenced to 20 days in military prison for protesting administrative arrest orders issued by Central Command Major General Avi Bluth. The soldier, who demonstrated outside Bluth's office at Central Command in Jerusalem, held signs criticizing the administrative orders and the detention of settler Tal Yinon Dardik.

One sign read, "Avi Bluth - Stop Administrative Orders," while another stated, "Avi Bluth - Stop Pursuing Tal Yinon Dardik." The soldier was tried in a disciplinary hearing at the Nitzanim base and began serving his sentence on Monday evening. The legal aid organization Honenu is representing the soldier.

During the protest, the soldier was initially arrested by police called to the scene by IDF personnel. After intervention by an attorney from Honenu, he was released. The attorney stated that the soldier was exercising his right to protest and criticized the police for his arrest, asserting that soldiers protesting from the "correct side" were previously permitted to do so.

The soldier's family expressed pride in him, stating, "We are proud of our son who stands at the forefront to save the army, which is rapidly deteriorating into a flawed concept and is busy persecuting heroic settlers. The confusion between enemy and friend has led us to disaster, and those who care do not remain silent in the face of injustice and distorted morality."

The protest occurred in the context of Dardik's arrest pending proceedings for violating an administrative order issued by Maj. Gen. Bluth. Dardik has vowed to continue his fight against administrative orders, which he argues are used to target settlers in Judea and Samaria.