IDF launches investigation into allegations of misconduct by Paratroopers Brigade commander

The IDF says a senior officer has been appointed to investigate repeated allegations of misconduct by the commander of the Paratroopers Brigade, Col. Ami Biton.

Channel 12 news and the Kan public broadcaster reported earlier that several senior reserve officers in the brigade filed a letter to Biton’s former superior Maj. Gen. Dan Goldfus — who commanded the 98th Division — complaining about his conduct amid the war.

The letters allege that Biton did not engage during the fighting, unnecessarily risked the lives of his soldiers, treated his subordinates in a humiliating way, and spent a significant amount of time alongside female soldiers and officers.

One reserve officer called Biton “the worst officer in the army,” in a letter cited by Kan.

In response to the reports, the IDF says that “these are claims that were received several months ago and were examined in the past, but in light of their return, are being examined again now.”

The chief of the IDF Central Command, Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, has appointed an unnamed brigadier general to investigate the claims made by the reservists and present him with conclusions as soon as possible, the military says.

The IDF adds that Biton “in the past year led the Paratroopers Brigade throughout the war with significant achievements on all fronts.”

During the beginning of the war, parents of troops in the brigade complained that Biton did not allow the soldiers out of the Gaza Strip for a brief furlough to meet their families for some three months straight, while every other brigade had at least one short break during that time.