IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi on Sunday called on those reservists who have already quit over the government’s reasonableness standard repeal to return to the military’s ranks.
If at other stages in the ongoing conflict over reservists’ threatening or deciding to quit, the IDF had threatened sanctions, Halevi now seems to have pivoted to offering an amnesty of sorts.
“The reservists are extremely dear to us and their contribution to the state is tremendous. I respect everyone, even those who arrived at the heavy-hearted decision and signed, with a shaking hand, that they would not respond to their call-up. I call on them to return to service,” wrote Halevi in a public letter to the entire IDF.
In addition, the IDF chief warned that the military needed all of its reservists “to defend the state, so among other things, there can be an opportunity to conduct disagreements in secure conditions.”
What happens if the IDF collapses over reservist refusal?
In other words, Halevi was saying that if the IDF collapses, the country and the reservists protesting the government’s policy will no longer have sufficient safety to even carry out protests due to danger from Israel’s enemies, who do not care about the debate over Israel’s legal establishment.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seen with IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday, May 31, 2023 (credit: KOBI GIDEON/GPO)Halevi said that he had hoped to be able to avoid addressing the legal debates in any fashion – calling all sides of the debate “legitimate,” but that since the IDF’s “cohesion has already been damaged, we must prevent the cracks from expanding.”
Over the weekend, the number of reservists threatening to quit topped 10,000, including 1,194 from the air force.
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