Israel suspends soldiers for singing inside Palestinian mosque

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has condemned the behaviour of some of its soldiers who were filmed singing and praying down a microphone in a mosque in Jenin in the occupied West Bank.

It comes during an operation against militants in the city, which has so far left 11 Palestinians dead, the Palestinian health ministry says.

The IDF said the soldiers “will be disciplined accordingly”.

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It said it would also act in similar cases which have been filmed in Gaza.

The clips, which are circulating on social media, show scenes of the mosque. In one recording, a song about banishing darkness, associated with the current Jewish festival of Hanukkah, is heard sung in Hebrew through a loudspeaker in a minaret. The person filming laughs and joins in with the song.

Other clips show soldiers inside a mosque reciting a Jewish prayer down a microphone. The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned what it called “a mockery of (the mosque’s) sanctity”.

In a statement on Thursday, the IDF said the soldiers “acted against IDF codes of conduct within a religious establishment”.

The statement said those responsible “were immediately removed from operational activity”.

It added: “The behaviour of the soldiers in the videos is serious and stands in complete opposition to the values of the IDF.”

The incidents in Jenin are not the first time Israeli soldiers have been upbraided for bad behaviour filmed and posted on social media recently.

Since Israeli forces have been fighting the war in Gaza from the end of October, videos have emerged including showing a soldier smashing up a toy shop, while the person filming laughs; soldiers setting fire to goods in the back of a lorry; and another rummaging through women’s clothes in what appears to be a private residence.

On Sunday, IDF spokesman Rear Adm Daniel Hagari condemned the soldiers’ behaviour. (BBC)

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