The clip features six soldiers on patrol in Hebron, an ancient city on the West Bank, which is home to many sites that Jews, Muslims and Christians consider holy. Some 600 Israeli settlers live in the city among roughly 160,000 Palestinians — which means it has also been the site of tension over the Israeli occupation.
As the soldiers canvass the street with weapons in hand, a muezzin can be heard leading a call for Muslim prayers. abruptly comes on and the six soldiers break out into a dance routine. After a few seconds of hearty gyrating, the soldiers promptly return to their patrol duty and to appropriate military postures.
The Israeli Defense Forces brass is not amused, AFP reports: In a statement, the IDF leadership called the performance a “joke by the soldiers” that amounts to “inappropriate conduct during a military operation” and will be “investigated by battalion commanders.” The video, first posted to YouTube on Friday by the user "cleangrunge," has since disappeared from its original account — but several other users have reposted it.
Since women also serve in the Israeli army, it bears noting that they, too, have lately succumbed to a bit of dance fever. A video uploaded to YouTube on Monday allegedly features female Israeli soldiers shaking it to Avril Lavigne’s “Girlfriend.”
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