More than 10,000 reservists would no longer appear on duty if the government’s controversial judicial restructuring were not stopped, their protest movement “Brothers in Arms” announced, according to media reports. According to the reports, this could significantly affect the operational readiness of the military. The military initially declined to comment.
On Friday, more than 1,000 Air Force reservists had already threatened to refuse service. Defense Minister Joav Galant then announced that he was trying to find a “consensus”. According to media reports, he is trying to postpone a vote scheduled for Monday on a key element of his government’s controversial plans.
More than 100 of the country’s top ex-security chiefs wrote to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a letter expressing their support for the possible draft evaders and urging him to stop the legislation. Netanyahu was “personally responsible for the serious damage being done to Israel’s military and security,” the letter said.