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A video of the incident surfaced online earlier sparking outrage on social media.
The footage shows one of the soldiers driving through the desert and shooting a camel, while the other one filmed the incident. As the first soldier pulls the trigger, the other one is heard hysterically laughing as they drive away. The camel later presumably died, according to the Haaretz newspaper.
The soldier with the gun was sentenced to four months in prison, while the second one was given a two-month jail sentence. Both were demoted in rank to private.
"The sentence reflects the severity with which the IDF sees the offense of cruelty to animals, especially when it involves using a military-issued weapons," the Israel Defense Forces told AFP in a statement.
The two soldiers were arrested back in December, when the footage first surfaced. Investigation revealed that the two tried to erase the video to no avail, according to Haaretz.
The shooting itself happened back in November, while the soldiers were on leave. Both had successful careers in the military as part of the elite Duvdevan infantry unit. They were set to start officer training in December.
Chair of the Israeli animal rights NGO 'Let the Animals Live,' Etti Altman, described the shooting as "shameful" and urged for longer prison sentences. "Where did their compassion go, the mercy toward defenseless creatures?" Altman asked.
Comment: On the one hand, this is very disturbing behavior for anyone, bordering on psychopathic. On the other, it highlights the great disparity that the entire Israeli military shows between the Palestinian people and in animals. The Israeli authorities apparently see animals as more sacred than Palestinians. IDF officers can kill innocent Palestinian civilians with impunity, but they get jail sentences for shooting a camel. Something is seriously wrong with that. The comment above from the animal rights activist is interesting: ""Where did their compassion go, the mercy toward defenseless creatures?". If the activist was paying any attention at all, he would see that the IDF has long ago lost any compassion for defenseless people, so why would he expect any different behavior towards animals?