Paratroopers commander reprimanded for humiliating treatment of subordinates
Probe finds Col. Ami Biton did not commit criminal acts, but acted discriminatorily toward subordinates; he’s exonerated from claims he shirked battle, unnecessarily endangered troops
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

The commander of the Paratroopers Brigade, Col. Ami Biton, was reprimanded on Monday by Central Command head Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth for treating subordinates in a humiliating way, the military said.
Several reserve officers in the brigade had, between November 2023 and March 2024, filed letters to Biton’s former superior Maj. Gen. Dan Goldfus — who commanded the 98th Division — complaining about Biton’s conduct amid the war.
The letters alleged that Biton’s involvement in his forces’ combat engagements was limited, that he unnecessarily risked the lives of his soldiers, that he treated his subordinates in a humiliating way, and that he spent a significant amount of time alongside female soldiers and officers.
Additionally, at the beginning of the war, parents of soldiers in the brigade complained that Biton did not allow troops out of the Gaza Strip even for a brief furlough to see their families for some three months straight, while every other brigade had at least one short break during that time. They also said that soldiers serving under Biton had not been allowed to shower or even take their shoes off for many days in a row.
Complaints about Biton’s conduct since the beginning of the war were investigated by Brig. Gen. Gal Shuchami, a senior officer from the Armored Corps who did not serve with the paratroopers commander at any point in his military service.
Shuchami spoke with dozens of Biton’s subordinates from the Paratroopers Brigade and from other roles he previously filled, as well as with several of his former commanders, and with Biton himself. Bluth, meanwhile, met with the reserve officers who wrote the letters and with Biton.

The investigation found that there was no criminal behavior by Biton, and that the claims that he unnecessarily risked the lives of his soldiers, was not sufficiently engaged in the fighting, and gave women preferential treatment were unfounded.
The IDF said that “there was no fault in Col. Biton’s operational conduct, and it was determined that the decisions he made, some under fire, met the accepted operational standard, and it is evident that they prevented casualties many times.”
However, the probe did find that Biton acted in a discriminatory way toward his subordinate officers, in a way that humiliated them.
“Biton behaved contrary to what was expected of a senior officer and commander in the IDF, by acting in a discriminatory manner to the point of harming the dignity of the commanders and officers who served under his command,” the military said.

The probe also found that after Goldfus spoke with Biton in May about the allegations, his behavior improved.
After weighing the investigation by Shuchami, and Biton’s work as the head of the brigade during operations in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria amid the war, as well as other letters written in support of the commander, Bluth decided to reprimand him.
“For over a year, Col. Biton has been leading the Paratroopers Brigade to significant operational achievements, fighting on three fronts… while demonstrating personal sacrifice and professionalism that stands out positively,” the IDF said.

The military said Bluth reprimanded him for “behavior that is unbecoming of an officer and a senior commander in the IDF.”
The reprimand will go on Biton’s permanent record.
Biton’s term is scheduled to end soon, though Defense Minister Israel Katz has yet to approve the replacement announced by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi last month.