IDF jails soldiers for photo of cigarette in mouth of Virgin Mary statue in Lebanon |
The Israel Defense Forces on Monday sentenced two soldiers to jail for placing a cigarette in the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary in Debel, a Christian village in southern Lebanon, a picture of which was shared widely online last week and condemned by the military.
The soldier seen in the picture was given three weeks in military jail, the IDF said. The soldier who took the photograph was sentenced to two weeks.
The military said that the incident was investigated by the commander of the 162nd Division, Brig. Gen. Sagiv Dahan — the officer in charge of the relevant area of southern Lebanon at the time — and he was the one who decided to give the soldiers jail time.
The IDF “views the incident gravely, and respects freedom of religion and worship, as well as holy sites and religious symbols of all religions and communities,” it added. “Procedures regarding conduct toward religious institutions and religious symbols are routinely clarified to forces before entering the relevant areas.”
An initial inquiry conducted by the IDF found that the photo was taken in the village of Debel several........