JERUSALEM (VINnews) — As thousands of IDF reservists sign letters stating that they will refuse to come to volunteer reserve duty if the government continues judicial reforms, IDF Chief Of Staff Hertzi Halevi lashed out at the refusers during a meeting at the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Halevi said that “Whoever calls not to arrive for reserve duty is endangering the IDF and the country’s security.”
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Halevi added that “We are committed to maintaining the IDF alert and ready and to strengthen the deterrent and maintain a positive situation for Israel’s citizens. The security challenges require us to maintain a high level of preparedness, fitness and unity.”
The “Reservists Protest” responded by stating that “The Chief of Staff is firing his arrows in the wrong direction. Those responsible for the dangers of shunning reserve duty are sitting in government ministries and tearing apart the people, dismantling the army and endangering Israel’s security. The Israeli patriots are in the streets protecting Israel as Jewish and democratic, since a people’s army can only exist in a democracy.”
Nearly 4,000 reservist soldiers in key positions have signed letters saying they would refuse to show up for volunteer reserve duty if judicial reforms are implemented.
According to a list compiled by Channel 12 news on Sunday, at least 200 aircraft pilots and navigators, 90 headquarters staff, 50 air traffic control operators and 40 drone operators have signed such letters, according to the report. The number of pilots and other Israeli Air Force (IAF) staff refusing to serve due to the overhaul was expected to rise further.
Some 400 reservists of the elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit handed their commander a letter on Sunday, saying they would not show up for voluntary reserve duty if the government moves ahead with the judicial reforms.
“We all hope that the destructive legislation, as it is today, will stop. In hopes that we will meet in the next reserve [duty], after the sword has been removed from the neck of democracy,” the reservist commandos wrote in the letter published by the Ynet news site.
On Friday, several reserve pilots reportedly told IAF chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar that they will stop reporting for training this week. According to the Kan public broadcaster, at this stage, the refusal was not affecting the force’s readiness.
Reservist pilots met last week with Bar, warning him of potential mass refusals to volunteer for service if the government advances the reforms. The group of pilots, who claimed they represented hundreds of others, told Bar that “we swore to serve the kingdom, not the king.”
Last week, some 420 members of the elite Shayetet 13 naval commando unit penned a similar letter to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who previously commanded the unit.
According to Channel 12, at least 350 military doctors in reserves have so far issued letters saying they were halting or threatening to halt their voluntary service due to the judicial reforms.
In recent weeks, at least 950 members of the Military Intelligence’s Special Operations Division and members of various cyberwarfare units announced their intention to end their volunteer reserve duty over the judicial reforms.
According to Channel 12’s list, more than 350 other Military Intelligence reservists; some 600 reservists of the Paratroopers’ Brigade’s Reconnaissance unit; 120 reservists of an elite Artillery Corps unit; over 110 reservists of the Shimshon and Duvdevan infantry battalions; and 80 reservists of the elite Egoz unit, Golani Brigade’s Reconnaissance unit, and Alpine reserve unit, all signed similar letters threatening to refuse to show up for volunteer reserve duty.
The IDF has said that it would discipline or potentially dismiss active-duty soldiers who refuse to show up for duty when ordered to, but stressed that no action would be taken against reservists who only threaten not to show up. It is unclear as yet what measures would be taken against reservists who do not show up for voluntary duty.
The coalition is currently advancing a key bill from the package — legislation aimed at preventing courts from invalidating or even discussing government and ministers’ decisions based on their “reasonableness.” It aims to pass the bill into law by month’s end.
Stop the rhetoric put them In
Military prison and see how quickly this stop
They are endangering themselves and their own families!
the whole zionist dream is falling apart.