Israel army punishes troops for settlement protest

The Israeli army has punished a group of soldiers for protesting the forcible evacuation of settler homes in the West Bank, AP reported.

The army says the troops refused to follow orders during the military's evacuation of settlers on Monday at an unauthorized outpost and hoisted a sign opposing settlement evacuations.

The protest followed a similar one by soldiers in the same unit last month. Such protests have increased tensions in the army, which tries to distance itself from Israel's political debates.

A military statement Tuesday said the political protest by uniformed troops was "fundamentally wrong."

It says four soldiers were sent to a military prison for up to a month, while two others were ordered confined to their base for a month.