Update: Following an investigation it was decided to remove one of the soldiers, a squad commander, from his command and he received 20 days in jail. The other soldier will be restricted to his base for 28 days.
The PA has submitted an official complaint to Israel following an event where two IDF soldiers reportedly grabbed a ‘Palestinian’ flag from an Arab standing at a military checkpoint south of Sh’chem and torched it, Ma’an reported.
PA security sources told Ma’an on Wednesday that the soldiers torched the flag at the Awarta checkpoint near Huwwara military base in a “provocative” manner in front of hundreds of Arabs at the checkpoint. The sources said Israel promised to take punitive measures against the offending soldiers. An Israeli army spokesperson said the case fell under the jurisdiction of Israeli police.
The IDF Spokesperson said in a statement that “commanders are familiar with the event and are investigating.” The spokesperson’s statement noted that “this is an exceptional event and the force acted in a manner that contradicts expectations and was contrary to directives, and disciplinary action will be taken.”