"We will not forget and we will not forgive": the memorial of T., the intelligence officer who died in prison and whose name was banned from publication (Photo: Shlomi Gabbai)
Officer T, who died in prison, will be recognized as an IDF soldier, the IDF spokesman said this evening (Monday).
The decision was made following a report submitted by a committee appointed nearly two months ago, to examine his status as a soldier at the time of his death. Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi accepted the committee's conclusions, and stated that the officer will be recognized as a deserter "retrospectively and before the law."
This is "out of the IDF's concept of expanding responsibility towards its servants and the data under its watch, and in light of the unique circumstances, including his stay in a military prison until his death, and there is no way to diminish or downplay the seriousness of the acts committed by the officer."
The committee found that the officer's permanent service in the IDF legally ended several months before his death, in a proper discharge process, and therefore he was not buried as a soldier. At the same time, it was said, "The committee believed that this is a unique case that deserves further examination.
At the end of this examination, the committee recommended, even though the officer knowingly committed serious acts, to recognize him as someone who was not released from service in the IDF and continued to serve until the day of his death, in a way that would allow him to be recognized as a soldier in the IDF and be examined accordingly for his commemoration as a part of the IDF. The committee gave great weight to the fact that the officer died in a military prison base and was under military custody, and in fact from the day of his enlistment until his death he was in a military setting. In accordance with the fact that this is a unique and unusual case, the committee believed that there is room for compassionate considerations and giving weight to his family's request regarding his memorialization."
Almost two months ago, he appointed Major General Nitzan Alon to head the committee.
The officer's family was updated on the details of the decision and the main points of the committee's report. After the appointment of the committee, the IDF spokesperson stated: "The committee will examine the incident with a systemic approach and an overall command view, while examining how the lessons of the incident were assimilated and implemented."
The gravestone of Officer T during the memorial service held for him, May 10, 2022 (Photo: Yoav Itiel, Yoav Itiel)
In the press release, it was stated that over the past few weeks, the committee conducted "comprehensive operations in order to study the details of the affair, the lessons learned as a result of it and the ways of their assimilation". (res.) Sha'er and Brigadier General (res.) Luria, there was a direct dialogue with the heads of these committees and with many officials at the various levels in the IDF and the Ministry of Defense, tours were held of the officer's unit and the military prison base, a meeting was held with the officer's parents and their support , relevant documents were reviewed and more.
It was also stated that the committee found that in the security aspect, "the process of investigation and drawing lessons, which was conducted in the Intelligence Division and dealt with the reduction of the serious security damage caused by the officer, was orderly, professional and effective. Following this process, actions were carried out in the field of command, including in the matter of assimilating value norms. Also , operating concepts and procedures were updated with the aim of reducing the risk of a similar incident recurring. Alongside this, Major General (res.) Alon recommended that certain additional steps be taken regarding the assimilation of the lessons learned in all the relevant formations in the AMN."
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The prison facility where the officer was held (photo: IDF spokesperson)
After T.'s arrest, the head of the military appointed a committee headed by Brigadier Noam Shaar, to examine aspects related to the selection of candidates and other aspects related to his military service until his arrest, including the control mechanisms in the unit in which the officer served, in order to learn lessons and prevent the recurrence of similar cases.
In addition, after T's death, the head of the ACA appointed a committee chaired by Brigadier General Miki Luria, for a systemic and broad examination of the prison system in the IDF, with an emphasis on prisoners with unique characteristics.
In May 2021, the officer, who was suspected of serious security offenses, was found , at the military prison base while in serious medical condition in his cell. The officer was referred for medical treatment at the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
T's parents welcomed the establishment of the committee in November, "albeit considerably late, which will examine the commemoration of our son along with an impartial, thorough, deep and serious home inspection regarding the conduct of the unit."
They added, "The chief military prosecutor, Major General Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi, stressed to us this morning that despite all the attempts of the investigating authorities, it is not possible to say what the cause of our son's death was and what caused it. Any baseless speculation and assessment, even if it comes from within the IDF, only It
increases the deep pain our family is in."
It is important to note that the committee did not deal with the circumstances of the officer's death, which are being investigated as part of a criminal investigation by the IDF's Internal Investigations Unit.
The investigation is in the final stages, and will be concluded by the military prosecutor's office in the near future.
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