Two female IDF soldiers were sentenced Sunday to 20 days in military prison after allegedly being caught kissing at a military base.
The two, who both serve in the same base in southern Israel, were accused of violating the IDF's modesty code after an officer claimed she saw the pair engage in public display of affection in army barracks on two separate occasions. The pair denies the accusations.
The modesty code, drafted in 2003, prohibits intimate contact between servicemembers of any gender or orientation on military bases.
According to the account of one of the accused soldiers, she was lying on her bed in the staff room in the presence of her unit mates three weeks ago, while her partner (who is serving on the same base) was sitting beside her. A junior officer who entered the room noticed the soldiers and sent them to get judged by a high ranking official.
The soldier claims she and her partner were both in full uniform and did not engage in any intimate contact. Other female soldiers who were in the room corroborated her version and the battalion commander decided to hand the pair a 20-day suspended sentence with a one-year probation period.
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Female combat soldiers in the IDF, illustration
(Photo: The IDF Spokesperson's Unit )
Last weekend, the couple was staying in the same room at the base, celebrating a birthday of one of the troops. The junior officer entered the room, spotted the couple and once more claimed that she saw them hugging and kissing.
The two, who again denied the allegations against them, were brought before the battalion commander who decided to follow through on his previous warning and send the couple to 20 days in military prison. One of the soldiers was also dismissed from her command position.
The family of one of the soldiers was shocked to hear about the incident and said the military was too quick to hand them a disproportionate sentence.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said the incident "is being examined".