IDF commander suspected of sexual harassment
Combat battalion leader allegedly assaulted female subordinate; unit has been investigated for similar cases in past
An IDF battalion commander is suspected of sexually harassing a female soldier repeatedly, Military Police investigators allowed for publication Tuesday, adding that one of the suspect’s subordinates was apparently expelled from his unit for raising concerns over the incidents.
The commander allegedly harassed the battalion’s bureau head on several different occasions, Israel Radio reported. The bureau head was later transferred to a new base at her request.
According to the report, Military Police also investigated the commander for allegedly ordering a non-commissioned officer and an officer to book him a room at a guest house during this summer’s 50-day-war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The commander allegedly later spent the night with a woman in the room which had been reserved for him.
At one point during the ongoing investigation, the report continued, the suspect’s deputy complained to the unit’s brigade commander and requested that the battalion head be removed from his post. However, in response to the complaints, the brigade commander allegedly accused the deputy of disloyalty to his unit and later expelled the soldier from the battalion.
An IDF Spokesman said that the Military Police will decide shortly whether to press charges against the commander.
Earlier this year, officers in the commander’s battalion were investigated in separate cases of alleged sexual harassment against lower-ranking, male combatants. Other members of the same battalion were also suspected of unlawful use of donations to the unit.
The battalion’s commander, as well as the brigade’s head, were suspected of attempting to cover-up the cases, according to an Israel Radio report earlier this month.
According to the IDF, 561 soldiers reported being sexually assaulted or harassed in 2013, Haaretz reported. IDF officials said that the past two years saw an increase in the number of male soldiers who filed complaints of sexual harassment or assault during their army service.