There was an unusual turn of events amidst the growing number of 'letters-of-refusal' to show up for Israel Defense Forces reserves in protest of the Judicial Reform push by the governing coalition. The turn came in the form of a letter penned by reservists for what is arguably, the most elite unit in the Israeli Army, Sayeret Matkal. The group's letter was a reversal of the trend of these letters and openly came out against the calls to refuse military service as a means of protest. A key element of the letter said: "If, God forbid, a manpower shortage arises in the Unit, we are prepared to contribute as many additional reserve days as are necessary—in training, selection, operational and supporting activity."
One of the signatories, a reservist soldier in the storied unit, was shocked when he read the wording of his friends' refusal letters for reserve duty. He reinforced the need to remain apolitical when thinking about security. "From our point of view, we are signing our letter for obvious reasons, there is no political interest here, and there are of course those among us who are against the reform," he said, "It is very important for me to emphasize, our opinion is not considered more than any other serviceman in the IDF. We respect all opinions and all those who have them, as well as the right of every reservist to express them and act to promote them, but the IDF must stay out of political disputes. We are all brothers in arms, not brothers in political opinion."
The reservists of Sayeret Matkal:
— Jerusalem of Iron 🇮🇱 עם ישראל חי (@jerusalemofiron) July 16, 2023
Simple, clean, humble, and assertive.
“If, God forbid, a manpower shortage arises in the Unit, we are prepared to contribute as many additional reserve days as are necessary—in training, selection, operational and supporting activity.” https://t.co/kKJilxgDjh
Sayeret Matkal, or The Joint Chiefs of Staff unit was present and influential many times at the dramatic crossroads of the State of Israel and is among the most influential in shaping the country's security. It is one of the most elite units in the world, and the values that lead it are good deeds, commitment to the mission, as well as the word that has become so slandered recently: volunteerism.
"The only spirit was, and still is, to volunteer for any task. We talk about politics during the breaks," the reservist who could not disclose his name further wrote. "We are convinced that our comrades in arms will reach the reserves on the day of the order. There are heavy security challenges and we will always be there for the benefit of the people, the state, and the unit. As far as we are concerned, the only red-line we have is a clearly illegal order, and we have not even been close to receiving such an order," he concludes.
🔳`Greatest Warriors`🔳
— Ramses Aryana (@Aryana65893150) May 19, 2020
Benjamin Netanyahu, Captain IDF #Israel in the (Sayeret Matkal) Special Forces, took part in many missions, including Operation Inferno 1968, Operation Gift 1968, Operation Isotope 1972, and fought in the frontlines in the War of Attrition & Yom Kippur War pic.twitter.com/B1mfoQH0jl
In the meantime, political officials both in the opposition and coalition are calling for an end to refusal to serve as a legitimate means of protest. Defense Minister Yoav Galant and IDF Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi, have met multiple times to discuss the issue and seek a permanent solution.
