Israel and The Sin of Expulsion

Soldier Who Snubbed Halutz Stripped of Award and Discharged

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Staff Sergeant Hananel (Meged) Dayan received the award during an Independence Day ceremony on Wednesday and was tried Thursday. He first appeared before his IDF Regiment Commander, who said he understood Dayan’s actions but that according to military regulations he must stand trial before the Brigade Commander.

The Brigade Commander ruled that Dayan be stripped of the award for outstanding service, including the revoking of a $1,500 cash prize. He also ruled that Dayan, who is a tank driver, is no longer eligible to be either a commander or a combat soldier.

The award for excellence granted to Dayan read as follows: Despite the severity of his personal loss, he continued to function and contribute to the unit. He is embraced by his fellow soldiers and is happy to perform any task or mission given to him and his friends from his company.

Katif.net reports that lawyers are reviewing Dayan’s case and plan to appeal it.

Friends and family of the soldier say they are unwilling to accept the army’s harsh response to a soldier who respectfully saluted the Chief of Staff, but could not bring himself to give a friendly hand-shake to the man responsible for destroying his family’s home in Gush Katif rendering them homeless refugees.

Three generations of Dayan’s family and relatives lived in Gush Katif and his grandfather passed away shortly after the region was declared closed to non-residents.

The community of evictees from Ganei Tal, where Dayan’s uncle and cousins lived, sent a huge bouquet to Dayan’s family, with letters of encouragement from residents.

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This entry was posted on Friday, May 5th, 2006 @ 1:35 pm on the category News Reports, Commentary & Human Interest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.