An Israeli soldier who refused to demolish buildings in the Gaza Strip was jailed on Tuesday for 56 days for refusing to obey orders.
Corporal Avi Bieber (19) started shouting at officers when he was involved in the demolition of several uninhabited structures in Gush Katif on Sunday.
His outburst, which was captured on film, was the most public example of a rightwing soldier refusing to carry out orders.
Settler groups hope, and the government fears, that similar actions could slow down the evacuation of the settlements in the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank.
Bieber, originally from the United States and a resident of the West Bank settlement of Tekoa, was convicted on three counts of refusing to carry out an order, threatening and insulting a commander and giving media interviews against Israeli Defence Force regulations, a military spokesperson said.
”The soldier shouted profanities at his commanders and incited other soldiers to disobey orders. He was arrested and will be disciplined in the manner that the IDF deals with such cases. The IDF will not tolerate such behaviour under any circumstances,” the commander of the Gaza Division, Brigadier General Aviv Kochavi, told reporters.
The soldier’s parents said they would appeal against the decision while other settlers protested outside the army’s Gaza headquarters.
Settlers erected a camp on Tuesday at the site of Sunday’s demolitions. Some were hit by stones thrown by Palestinians as they made their way to the beachside area.
Both Palestinian and Israeli leaders warned their people on Tuesday about the dangers of acts of violence during the disengagement process, which is due to start on August 15.
Palestinians fear that militants from their side could use the Israeli military operation as an opportunity to launch attacks to underscore what they feel is a military victory.
On the other side, Israel is bracing itself for acts of violence and civil disobedience from the rightwing opponents of the withdrawal from settlements.
Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister, said that if his opponents employed violent tactics in resisting security forces dismantling the settlements, it could endanger Israel’s existence.
”I especially warn against attempts by a small, lawless minority … using violence against the army and other security forces,” said Sharon.
”We all have to remember that the calls to disobedience and to disrupt life in Israel endanger the existence of Israel as a Jewish, democratic state.”
Ahmed Qureia, the Palestinian prime minister, said it was not in the interests of Palestinians to hinder Israel’s withdrawal from its settlements.
”We do not want to allow even a single excuse for anyone to blame us for sabotaging the disengagement,” he said after a cabinet meeting in Gaza City. ”We will hold any party totally responsible if they attempt to gamble with our future.” – Guardian Unlimited Â