Israel: army detains Arabic-speaking soldiers for supporting Jenin

The Israeli occupation army detained a number of Arabic-speaking soldiers on Tuesday after they insulted the apartheid state and chanted in favour of Jenin in an incident caught on video which went viral on social media, the Kan public broadcaster has reported.

The video shows a group of Arabic-speaking Israeli soldiers joking about supporting Jenin and Palestinians following the Israeli offensive in the city’s refugee camp on Monday. Wearing army uniform, the soldiers were laughing and speaking in Arabic, saying: “God supports Jenin… God supports Palestine… F**k Israel.”

Hebrew-language media reported that the soldiers serve in the Logistic Corps and filmed the video while on a military base in the south of the country.

A spokesperson for the Israel Defence Forces said that the “soldiers’ behaviour contravenes IDF values, and they will be disciplined.” Israeli media reported later that they had been detained and an investigation into the incident has been opened.

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