by Emanuel Fabian
Defense minister says refraining from showing up for duty ‘harms Israel’s security,’ as more open letters by reserve members against reform are published
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Defense Minister Yoav Gallant speaks during an
event marking 50 years since the 1973 Yom Kippur War, July 11, 2023.
(Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry) |
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Tuesday night that calls by military reservists to refuse to show up for duty over the government’s plans to overhaul the judiciary were “a reward for our enemy.”
“The strength of the IDF rested then and rests today on the unity of its ranks… from the tank loader to the signal operator to the division commander,” Gallant said at an event at the 146th Reserve Armored Division, marking 50 years since the Yom Kippur War. “Even today, the key to success in our missions lies in the unity of our ranks.”
Gallant said the “calls that are being heard these days encouraging refusal and halting the volunteering of reservists threaten the unity of the ranks, are dangerous, and are a reward for our enemy.”
“I call on public figures from the right and the left, leave politics out of the army,” he continued.
“Refusal harms the IDF. Refusal harms the defense establishment. Refusal harms Israel’s security,” Gallant told the troops at the event. “We must all condemn refusal or calls for refusal, and remember very well that we all have one destiny, we are brothers, and the IDF belongs to us all.”
“We have no other army to rely on and we have to take care to keep it united and leave it out of any dispute,” he added.
Reservists — who are a key part of the army’s routine activities, including in top units — have been warning in recent months they will not be able to serve in an undemocratic Israel, which some charge the country will become if the government’s plans to overhaul the judiciary are realized.
The calls to refuse reserve duty spread through the military earlier in the year when the overhaul was first proposed and advanced, proliferating even as they were denounced by senior politicians in the opposition and government. Threats again surfaced in recent weeks as the government renewed its legislative push, after pausing it in March following pressure by reservists on Gallant.
Gallant in late March publicly warned that the rift over the overhaul was causing divides in the military that posed a tangible threat to Israeli security. In response to that warning, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered Gallant’s firing, a move that sparked intensified national protests, in turn leading Netanyahu to temporarily suspend the legislation for three months and withdraw Gallant’s dismissal.
In response to Gallant’s Tuesday speech, the anti-overhaul protest group Brothers and Sisters in Arms, representing reservists, called on the defense minister to halt the overhaul legislation.
“You admitted in your own words that the dictatorial legislation is tearing the nation apart. If you want to stop the civil war, stop the legislation. A people’s army only exists in a democracy,” the group said in a statement.
National Unity chair Benny Gantz also criticized Gallant, saying he has a responsibility as defense minister to prevent the advancement of overhaul legislation, which is tearing the country apart.
“The defense minister surely knows that the IDF is the people’s army, and when the people are being torn apart, the IDF is also torn apart and national security is harmed,” Gantz said.
Earlier on Tuesday, a series of letters by military reservists saying they were halting or threatening to halt their volunteer reserve duty were published, hours after the Knesset okayed the first reading of a bill to eliminate courts’ ability to rule on the “reasonableness” of government decisions.
Some 300 reservists in cyberwarfare units said they would no longer “develop capabilities for a criminal regime”; several reserve members of the elite Flotilla 13 Navy unit said they were halting their volunteer service until further notice; and around 120 reservists in the Military Intelligence Directorate’s research department threatened to stop volunteering should the government continue to advance the overhaul plans.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday evening, some 350 Israeli Air Force reservists held a meeting to discuss the potential dangers of the judicial overhaul to Israel’s democratic nature, the possible risks of facing prosecution by the International Criminal Court for actions they take during military service, and the economic damage to Israel, according to the Kan public broadcaster.
Kan said constitutional law professor Suzie Navot, former attorney general and chief military advocate general Avichai Mandelblit, former police commissioner Roni Alsheich, former IAF chief Amir Eshel, and venture capitalist Nehemia Peres participated in the meeting at an office in Bnei Brak.
A separate meeting of around 500 reservist pilots and navigators was held on Tuesday night, during which they discussed their next steps in protest of the judicial overhaul, Kan reported. The report said the pilots intended to make a joint decision on whether to stop volunteering for service at this stage.
On Monday, some reservist pilots met with IAF chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, warning him of potential mass refusals to volunteer for service if the government advances its controversial push to overhaul the judiciary.
The group of pilots, who represented hundreds of others, told Bar that “we swore to serve the kingdom, not the king,” according to multiple reports by Hebrew-language news outlets.
Pilots warned that some were considering ceasing their reserve duty over the coalition’s renewed unilateral efforts to pass the overhaul, warning that the passage of the so-called “reasonableness” bill, or any other element of the plan, could lead to a significant number of refusals that could harm the army’s operational capabilities.
The meeting was held as the Knesset debated a bill to block judicial review of the “reasonableness” of politicians’ decisions. The draft legislation passed its first reading early Tuesday morning.
Coalition members have railed against the refusal threats, equating them to refusal to be drafted into mandatory military service in the first place, which is illegal unless an individual has an exemption.
Unlike most reservists who are called up for duty with a formal order from the IDF, pilots and other special forces show up for duty more frequently and in a voluntary manner, often not during an emergency, due to the nature of their positions.
The military has said that it would discipline or potentially dismiss 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 what measures would be taken against reservists who do not show up for voluntary duty.
During a security cabinet meeting Sunday, Gallant said that should a specific number of reservists in key positions — such as pilots, special forces, and intelligence units — not show up for duty, it would be something the military “will not be able to withstand,” according to Channel 12 news. The exact number, said to be in the hundreds, was not published.
The IAF greatly relies on reserve pilots for missions. After pilots complete their initial 10 years of service, they show up for training and operations as reservists, often on a weekly basis, for around another 20 years.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said on Sunday that reservists “don’t have the right” to refuse to show up for duty, amid heightened security tensions across the region.
Gallant’s remarks on Tuesday evening came amid nationwide protests, which began in the morning after the Knesset pressed forward with contentious legislation to radically constrain the independence and powers of the judiciary despite widespread opposition.
The legislation canceling the “reasonableness” yardstick used by the courts is one of several bills proposed by Netanyahu’s coalition, composed of his Likud party and its ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox allies. The overhaul plan has provoked more than six months of sustained protests by opponents who say it is pushing the country toward authoritarian rule.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Emanuel Fabian
Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/gallant-decries-dangerous-refusal-threats-by-reservists-a-reward-for-our-enemy/
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