Head of elite Israeli army unit suspended for not vaccinating against COVID

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The chief of the Israeli military’s Northern Command has suspended the leader of one of the army’s elite reserve units for refusing to get vaccinated despite the lack of an official vaccine mandate for servicemen, Kan News reported on Saturday.

According to the national broadcaster, Maj. Gen. Amir Baram relieved the head of the Israel Defense Forces’ Alpine unit, a Lt. Col. in the reserves, from command of his troops after he declined to be inoculated.

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While the Israeli military does not require its soldiers to be vaccinated – allowing unvaccinated troops to take PCR tests instead – this August it announced that it would only call up reservists who have been vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 for operations or training.

An Israeli army soldier from the Israeli Defense Forces Alpine Unit, in 2005.AP

According to the regulations, reservists reporting for duty have to present proof of immunity when they arrive at the base or undergo a PCR test, however, in the case of senior officers, Baram demanded that they be fully vaccinated while in command.

In a letter to his troops reported by Kan, the unnamed reserve officer stated that “the general insists that all senior commanders should be vaccinated in order to set a personal example” and that his refusal to comply led him to be suspended “until conditions change.”

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The army made a major push to vaccinate its personnel in the months after Israel began its nationwide vaccine drive late last year – opening 22 vaccination centers on bases and mobilizing additional medical personnel to inoculate larger units on site.

According to estimates shared with Haaretz, approximately 85% of eligible service-people have been vaccinated.

In a statement, the IDF told Haaretz that it “is committed to maintaining functional continuity and ongoing security at all times” and that in light of the pandemic, it is the responsibility of the army’s personnel to ensure the health of their units “in order to continue to carry out the defense mission at the borders.”

“The operational employment on Mount Hermon is unique and challenging in the winter due to severe weather conditions and the warriors being in overcrowded conditions,” the army said, adding that last winter there had been “widespread infection” among the unit’s members, eroding its operational effectiveness.

It was expected that the commander in question would get vaccinated “and set a positive personal example for his men” and when he declined to do so it was “determined that he would be able to return to his full position if he was vaccinated” and in the meantime “will be replaced by his deputy,” the army said. “The commander of the Northern Command did not remove the officer from office.”