Minister Chikli criticizes IDF for enabling continued reserve service of Brothers in Arms leader

Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli (Likud) criticized the IDF on Thursday for allowing Brothers in Arms leader Lt.-Col. (res.) Ron Scherf to continue volunteering for reserve duty, after threatening to cease his service if the government passed its controversial judicial reform in 2023.

The IDF’s spokesperson said following Chikli’s criticism that the issue of Scherf’s reserve service would be examined by his commanders in the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate. Scherf, 52, served as an officer in the elite General Staff Reconnaissance Unit (Sayeret Matkal) and in the reserves and was responsible for running the week-long tryouts for the unit.

The issue arose on Wednesday after Scherf mentioned during a Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting on the issue of haredi conscription that he was still fulfilling his role in the reserves. Chikli responded on Wednesday by penning a letter to the defense minister, chief of staff, and FADC chairman, in which he demanded that disciplinary steps be taken against Scherf, who Chikli said had led “political collective refusal to serve” in the IDF’s ranks.

The IDF’s spokesperson was quoted by Channel 7 News as responding that Scherf was “a reservist of great merit.” Chikli on Thursday called the response a “disgrace” and blamed Chief of Staff Hertzi Halevy.

“If there is no ability to issue a clear stance against political refusal to serve, or to be exact – there is, but only when it is comfortable, then this is a significant part of the problem. An army cannot be run this way,” Chikli said. The IDF spokesperson then gave the aforementioned response that Scherf’s service would be “examined.”

Breaking contract

Chikli mentioned a list of statements and actions led by Scherf in 2023, including actively collecting signatures from IDF reservists, saying that they would cease volunteering for the reserves if certain judicial reform bills passed. Scherf argued at the time that the foundation for IDF service was that the country remains both Jewish and democratic and that if it lost its democratic character, the “contract” between the state and people would be broken.

Reserve service for officers is only mandatory until age 45, and Scherf’s service was voluntary. Many of the fellow reservists who threatened to cease their service were also volunteers. However, Halevi at the time warned that cessation of volunteering could harm the IDF’s operational preparedness. Chikli and many others on the Israeli right argued at the time that Scherf and others had crossed a line, and many blamed Brothers in Arms and similar organizations for weakening the IDF and thus enabling the October 7 Hamas massacre.

Following the massacre and ensuing war against Hamas, there were no recorded cases of mass political refusal to serve.

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