The Knesset voted in favour of a bill put forth by MKs Yoni Chetboun (Bayit Yehudi), Yariv Levin (Likud Beytenu), and Nachman Shai (Labor) to prohibit the slander of IDF soldiers.  This was the initial reading.  The bill is a response to the libelous documentary Jenin, Jenin, and is named after it.  In the film, soldiers were accused of murder and other crimes which turned out to be false, but since no soldier was singled out, the army had no legal recourse.  The bill aims to allow soldiers to sue even if slander is levelled against soldiers in general.

Chetboun explained, “The time has come to give IDF soldiers a voice… The current situation, in which soldiers are sitting ducks for unbridled verbal assaults and cannot respond, is intolerable, and seriously undermines soldiers’ motivation.  This law will bring back a bit of the fighting spirit, the calm, and the motivation to focus on the mission.”