IDF report shows illegal discrimination against unvaccinated soldiers

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Ombudsman’s annual report for 2021 has revealed some disturbing practices, particularly when it comes to soldiers who are unvaccinated, according to Maariv. 

Complaints submitted by members of the IDF show that senior commanders deliberately discriminated against their subordinates who had not been vaccinated against COVID-19.  

In some instances, soldiers were forbidden from participating in training exercises if they were not vaccinated. In one incident, a senior commander decided that a soldier would not take part in a command and leadership training course simply because she was not vaccinated, even though she agreed to submit to regular COVID-19 testing. According to Israel’s “Green Pass” regulations, individuals who are not vaccinated may still access their freedoms if they submit to regular testing. 

Dozens of other complaints were submitted which showed that sanctions and unlawful pressure were exerted on soldiers to be vaccinated. In one case, a commander told a female soldier that she would not be allowed to take her scheduled weekend leave unless she got vaccinated. 

In the Israeli Navy, an isolation period of five days was imposed on unvaccinated soldiers every time they would return from leave. 

“In conclusion, I found that the Navy effectively imposed isolation on soldiers who gave no indications of needing it, epidemiological or otherwise, against operational guidelines that define the parameters of isolation and distancing,” says the Ombudsman’s report. 

It is unclear if the discrimination against vaccine-free service members stems from a concern for health, given other complaints submitted to the Ombudsman. 

Those complaints reveal that many soldiers have a hard time receiving necessary healthcare. Some soldiers experience extremely long wait times – even months – before seeing mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists or social workers. Soldiers who require specialized care also experience dangerously long wait times. 

“A special report by IDF’s special unit for soldiers’ complaints, reveals sanctions on unvaxxed soldiers, coercion, & disproportional measures of some commanders, taking law to their own hands,” tweeted freedom activist Efrat Fenigson. “So many new ‘sheriffs’ in town, it’s sickening.”