A Nahal Brigade soldier known only as “Sgt. M.” has been sentenced to 26 months in prison for the accidental shooting and killing of his company mate St.-Sgt. Yonatan Granot in February 2021 at a military base in the Jordan Valley.
He will also pay a fine of NIS 12,000, which will be divided into several installments due to his financial situation. In addition, M., who has been in a difficult mental state since the incident, will be demoted to the rank of private.
“Even on this day, he and his family would like to send their condolences to the family of the late Yonatan Granot, who was M’s best friend,” attorney Ran Cohen Rochbarger, who represents the soldier, said after the verdict.
“They were close friends, commander and subordinate, and this terrible tragedy torments M. to this day. He suffered severe post-traumatic stress disorder, takes medication and sends his condolences to the family.”
M.’s identity is still subject to a gag order. He was released from the army for mental health issues following the incident.
"They were close friends, commander and subordinate, and this terrible tragedy torments M to this day. He suffered severe post-traumatic stress disorder, takes medication and sends his condolences and pain to the family."
Attorney Ran Cohen Rochbarger
Investigation of the fatal shooting
The investigation into the death revealed that the soldier fired a bullet from a Ruger rifle that had been used at the ranges a short time before. Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi accepted the conclusions of the investigative committee. The committee determined the accident resulted from the soldier firing a weapon with which he was unfamiliar with and that he was not authorized to use. These claims were also presented by the military prosecution, and the court accepted them.
Kohavi pointed out that the findings of the investigation highlighted gaps in the level of discipline, professionalism and unit culture in training preparation and in the company’s routine.
The committee found several errors in the conduct of the unit and commanders during the event.
First, the unloading of the weapons by the platoon commander was done in a manner that does not comply with professional and safety instructions.
In addition, the decision to leave the rifle under the guard of the company sentinel was wrong, and the soldier did not fulfill his mission by not preventing M. from taking the weapon and firing it. Also, the chain of reporting to the commanding and professional authorities at the time of the incident was not reliable or done as quickly as needed.
The military prosecution sought to convict M. of reckless homicide throughout the trial, which was conducted, after the parties did not reach an agreement regarding a plea deal.
The maximum penalty for the offense is up to 12 years in prison. It is legally a lesser crime than manslaughter, which carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
Granot, 22, from Kibbutz Einat, was a commander in the Bazelet Battalion of the Nahal Brigade. He was accidentally shot at the Tevez base in the Jordan Valley, and died of his wounds three days later in Hadassah-University Medical Center, in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem.