In its Approach to Ofek Buchris, the IDF is in Breach of an Unwritten Contract With the People of Israel

I am an oleh, that is, I was not born in Israel, I moved to Israel from Scotland at the age of sixteen going on seventeen. I served in the army in a combat unit, seeing action in Lebanon. I lived on Kibbutz, worked and lived in different part of the country. I have involved myself in politics and social activity.

My Hebrew is fairly fluent. I enjoy Israeli music, theatre, film, TV and other forms of art, although I must admit I still don’t quite get Israeli stand-up comedy. In short, thirty odd years on, I feel pretty much Israeli, having gone through a variety of quintessentially Israeli experiences.

My son, my first born, joined the army last year. I can say unequivocally that taking him to the induction centre and handing him over the IDF was by far the most Israeli thing I have ever done. In the week leading up to his draft, his mother cried when she saw him with his army haircut.

I was pretty relaxed about the whole thing. Having served myself, I did not expect it to be such a big deal. I knew more or less what he was going to be doing and the challenges that he was about to face. I was not prepared however for the emotion of the moment, when surrounded by other families undergoing this most Israeli of experiences. I was about to send my son, my child off to defend me, something wholly counter intuitive.

All his life it had been my role to keep him safe and secure and here I was, sending him off to protect me and the rest of the country. As I looked around, I saw mothers and sisters crying openly, siblings and friends joking around and dad’s doing their very best to retain the macho image but welling up inside desperate to cry out, even burst into tears.

Your son’s name then appears on the electronic notice board and his name is called. You watch as he has a last hug from mum, with his brother and sister. He grabs his bag and heads towards, but not before you grab him, hug him like you may never hug him again, realising his childhood is officially over, telling him you love him and that he will do well, be strong, remember this is what you wanted. He moves off, boards the bus, which will take him just five hundred meters to begin the induction process. The next time you see him, he will be in uniform and you will feel really old.

As parents we hand our children into the care of the IDF and there is an unwritten contract with this most revered and critical institution in Israel, that although by the very nature of being in the military, their job may be to rush into harm’s way, the IDF will train them in the best way possible, and push them to achieve well beyond what they ever thought themselves capable of.

But more than anything, the IDF will take responsibility for their welfare. Their wellbeing will be of the utmost importance, they will be fed and looked after, provided a safe and secure environment, notwithstanding the nature of their new role in life. This contract, although unwritten, is understood. It is understood that this current generation will defend the past generation and the future generation just as their parents did for them and their grandparents and as regrettably, more than likely, their children will do for them and their grandchildren. Now is time for my children to serve.

My son began last year and is now a seasoned combat soldier on active duty. My daughter, currently in her final year at school, will be next and then my youngest will follow in another three years. Just as with their elder brother, both have indicated a desire to be combat soldiers. I have learned, as many Israelis do, that it is indeed far harder to be the parent of a soldier than to be a soldier oneself. The related challenges and sleepless nights, I will endure for the better part of the next decade. As an Israeli citizen, this is my part of the unwritten contract with the IDF and with my country.

The IDF however seems to be in danger of failing to live up to this contract. The news that disgraced General, Ofek Buchris, ex Head of the Golani Brigade and at one time, a rising star and potential Chief of staff has agreed to a plea bargain, is most alarming and sends out the wrong message to parents who have entered into this contract.

Buchris’ career came to an abrupt end after he was accused of rape, sodomy and sexual abuse of two female soldiers under his command. When the charges came to light, Buchris was adamant in his own defence. He stated unequivocally that the accusations were false, with no basis in fact and that no such events took place, He declared his innocence and that he would fight “the battle of his life” to clear his good name. After being suspended by the army during the investigation, Buchris resigned from the IDF in order to focus on his legal battle.

Now, only a few months later, Buchris has agreed to a plea bargain, where he will admit to sexual offences against his female accusers, and “take full responsibility” for his actions. The charges of rape and sodomy will be dropped. As part of the agreement, Buchris will be demoted to the rank of Colonel and that will be that.

Buchris, who now admits to committing sexual crimes against two female soldiers under his command and then lied through his teeth professing his innocence, will not face any jail time. He will not be dishonourably discharged (he has already left the army). He will continue to reive the highly generous pension and benefits of a high ranking officer.

Where exactly and how, I ask myself; does Buchris take responsibility for his crimes, for that is what they are, serious crimes by an individual in a position of power against those over whom he exerts that power. Rape, sodomy and sexual violence are serious crimes, hell there are few more serious, yet it would appear that the IDF is failing to take these serious crimes seriously, where its failure to do so is a clear breach of the unwritten contract between parents and the army.

As parent, what am I to tell my daughter as she looks to what she wants to do in the IDF, “ sorry darling but if the man is senior enough in the army, he has license to abuse you with impunity” . What do I say to my sons as they consider their role in the IDF, where they often serve alongside young women? How are they to act, should they witness such abuse of power by their officers? What message is the IDF sending to its female soldiers, to all soldiers and officers?

In allowing Buchris to escape meaningful punishment and any true consequences for his actions, the IDF is betraying its female soldiers and indeed puts the unwritten contract with parent at risk. Now in addition to worrying about our children being injured or worse in live fire training, in active duty or in full out war, we have to worry about very safety and security of our children at the hands predatory officers with great power who feel they can get away with whatever abuse the care to dish out.

Although sexual offences are predominantly perpetrated against female soldiers, there is increasing evidence of sexual harassment and offences against male soldiers, with one example of an officer sexually harassing soldiers under his command in an infantry unit. Yet again, the officer in question faced no real consequences, where the soldiers who were brave enough to come forward with their complaint were told that the offending officer has been punished and dismissed from the army, only to meet him on another base in a more senior position, where all the army had done was transfer him to another unit rather than investigate his crimes properly and punish him appropriately.

Buchris, as a high profile figure and a favourite of the military establishment was supposed to exemplify the very best that is the IDF. In the end he did the exact opposite, he has admitted to being a sexual criminal. He abused his position as a high ranking officer. By all accounts he was a highly effective and talented soldier and officer and served with distinction.

None of that however can excuse or be used to rationalise his crimes, where the IDF had a responsibility to prosecute the man to the full extent of the law, not find an expedient manner in which to look after one of its chosen few at the expense of ordinary serving soldiers who were attacked and abused and should be able to expect the protection and support of the institution in which they serve.

The plea bargain sends all the wrong messages, to soldiers, to officers, to parents and to Israeli society as a whole. It only strengthens the perception that if you are senior enough, or famous enough, or rich enough you can commit sexual crimes with relative impunity.

This is not a new phenomenon.

We have one ex-President in prison for rape and other sexual offences. He is only in prison however, due to his own arrogance and stupidity, as he too was offered a generous plea bargain, which thankfully for justice he refused. Recently there have been accusation and resignations in politics, business, the arts, even Rabbis and teachers are getting in on the act. It would appear that it is pretty much impossible to find an area of Israeli society where sexual violence is not a problem.

The unique standing of the IDF and its place in Israeli society demands that it of all institutions, it must protect and be seen to protect our young people and when necessary address such criminal acts in a robust manner to the full extent of the law.In the case of General, now Colonel (retired, he still gets a really nice pension) Ofek Buchris, the IDF is doing the exact opposite.

Not only does this betray the young men and women who serve the IDF, it sends a dangerous message to society in general and it brings the whole idea of the unwritten contract into question. Such a breach cannot be easily repaired.