Okay.
I wasn't going to post until I had some concrete evidence, because I'm going to beat this dead horse again. I didn't find Eli's bus, so I'll keep this short.
First of all, from the
Safety Guidelines of Birthright Israel:
Secondly, it is not uncommon for the groups to meet soldiers as part of the trip program.
It's also not uncommon for them to get to wear the uniform for god knows what reason.
Thirdly, here's a picture of an IDF soldier aboard a Birthright tour bus.
So there. If Eli is going anywhere, it's Jerusalem.
I've seen so many vacation pictures today, I'm going to punch the next smiling jew I see. Not because they're Jewish, but because they smile.