The IDF spokesperson said the police were incorrect in an official response on Monday to an attempt by Tel Aviv police to circulate a report claiming that the female soldiers who arrived in Bnei Brak on Sunday were distributing flyers.
“The claim that the commanders who were attacked yesterday in Bnei Brak arrived in order to distribute recruitment flyers in the city is incorrect. The commanders arrived for a home visit to a pre-draft candidate prior to enlistment,” said IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin in the statement.
The IDF is angered by what it describes as the police’s attempt to justify a problematic statement by Tel Aviv District Commander Haim Sargrof, who claimed that the army should have coordinated the entry of the female soldiers into Bnei Brak with the police.
The IDF said that the leaflets in the soldiers’ possession were merely an informational booklet given to every recruit to the Havat Hashomer base, containing basic information about the enlistment process and details about the equipment recruits are required to bring on their draft day.
A military source said, “We do not know why the police are behaving this way. They acted disrespectfully toward the IDF, leaked the soldiers’ testimonies to the media in order to smear army commanders, and now they are releasing inaccurate information about the soldiers’ conduct in Bnei Brak. We would expect the police to act with a bit more maturity and to take responsibility for their conduct, and for statements made by their commanders.”