The officer, who holds the rank of first lieutenant and was a squad commander at the time of the raid on the Marmara, will be demoted to the rank of private. He has also been slapped with a fine of 700 Israeli shekels ($200).
In their verdict, the Israeli military judges said that the case constitutes a grave and ugly mishap by a commander, and that his actions had wide-ranging implications, beyond the image of Israel and the Israeli army.
According to the indictment, the soldier boarded the Marmara after it docked at the southern Israeli Ashdod Port following the lethal Israeli Navy raid on the Gaza-bound vessel on May 31.
The raid, meant to block a Turkish-led aid flotilla from reaching Gaza Strip, ended with the death of nine activists aboard. The ship's passengers were detained and later released. The vessels were then led to an Israeli port where they docked for several weeks before sailing back to their home countries.
The officer arrived with a bag containing drinks, but later removed them and instead placed six laptops, two camera lenses and a compass, which belonged to passengers, and then sold them to other soldiers.
He confessed to the theft after he was detained. Three other soldiers are currently facing a trial over their role in the looting affair.
The soldier was convicted on Monday morning in a plea bargain. The original looting charge was dropped and the officer was charged with theft by a public figure. During the hearing the soldier expressed regret for his actions.
"The gravest punishment for me is that I won't become an officer," the soldier said. "I'm sorry for disappointing my commanders, who expected me to reach high places."
"I express complete regret over what I did. This is the most foolish thing I did in my life. I'm sorry for portraying myself negatively in the face of global public opinion; I hope I will be able to clear the stain on my military service," he said. "I will do everything I can in order to complete my service properly."
