WATCH: Soldier given 20-day sentence after protesting outside of IDF Central Command HQ

SEPTEMBER 29, 2026 16:24Updated: SEPTEMBER 29, 2026 16:25A soldier was sentenced to 20 days in military prison on Monday after picketing in front of IDF Central Command's Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth's office, protesting administrative sanctions placed on settler extremist Tal Yinon Dardik.The soldier held signs outside the IDF Central Command's Jerusalem headquarters earlier this week that read: "Avi Bluth - Stop Administrative Orders" and "Avi Bluth - Stop Persecuting Tal Yinon Dardik."Central Command soldiers called police officers to the scene, who arrested the soldier and brought him to the Neve Yaakov police station. He was later released after intervention by Daniel Shimshilashvili, an attorney from the Honenu legal aid organization, which is representing the soldier.On Monday evening, a disciplinary hearing was held at the Nitzanim military base, and the soldier began serving his sentence immediately.“The soldier chose to express his protest lawfully, and Israel Police erred by arresting him," Shimshilashvili said. "A soldier who comes and protests legally should be treated like any other soldier who received permission to demonstrate when the protests were ‘on the right side.’ We will insist that he be allowed to exercise his right to protest.”Soldier was sentenced to 20 days in military prison after picketing in front of IDF Central Command's Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth's office, September 29, 2026. (credit: SECTION 27A COPYRIGHT ACT)In their own statement, the soldier's family added that they are proud of his actions.“We are proud of our son, who is standing in the breach to save an army that is rapidly deteriorating into a conceptzia and is busy pursuing heroic settlers," the family stated. "The confusion between enemy and friend brought us to disaster, and anyone who cares does not remain silent in the face of injustice and distorted morality.”What is the Dardik case?Dardik is suspected of involvement in attacks against Palestinians and other nationalist-motivated offenses, including a suspected attack in March. The subsequent orders banned him from the West Bank and required him to check in in person at the Modi'in Illit police station twice daily for four months.The soldier's protest comes against the backdrop of the Dardik case, in which he was arrested on suspicion of his involvement in attacks against Palestinians and other nationalist-motivated offenses, including a suspected attack in March.With insufficient evidence at the time to indict him over the suspected nationalist offenses, Bluth issued an administrative restriction order on June 9 following a recommendation from the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency).Security services rule Dardik poses security threatThe order required Dardik to remain under full house arrest for six months at his mother-in-law’s home in the West Bank settlement of Adei Ad. Dardik argued that the condition was impossible to comply with because his mother-in-law refused to allow him to stay there.A military appeals committee ruled on July 26 that intelligence presented by the security services supported the assessment that Dardik posed a security risk and justified substantial restrictions against him.The dispute over Dardik has become part of a broader confrontation between Katz and Bluth over the use of administrative measures against Jewish suspects accused of nationalist violence in the West Bank.Sarah Ben-Nun contributed to this report.Follow us on Google