Two soldiers arrested for shooting camel

Days before beginning officer training, the two film themselves firing at defenseless animal as they drive past

Two IDF soldiers from an elite combat unit were arrested Monday on suspicion of firing an army-issued handgun at a camel near the Dead Sea.

The two filmed themselves in the act as they drove on a road in the desert, passed the camel and fired at it, with one of them bursting out laughing as they sped away.

The incident took place two weeks ago, in late November, while the two were on leave.

They were arrested Monday by the Military Police, their service in their unit was suspended and both saw their remand extended Wednesday by the Jaffa Military Court — for one soldier until Thursday, for the other until Sunday.

“This was a serious incident that does not match what is expected from IDF soldiers,” the army said in a statement quoted by the Ynet news site.

Attorneys for the two acknowledged the severity of the incident, which was caught on film, but noted that they had confessed their act, and argued for leniency given their dangerous military service and unblemished military records.

Both were slated to begin officer’s training in the coming days.

Etti Altman, chair of the Israeli animal-rights NGO “Let the Animals Live,” slammed the incident as “shameful” and called for extended prison terms for the two soldiers. “Where did their compassion go, the mercy toward defenseless creatures?”