On Tuesday morning about 150 people who defined themselves as "reservist fighters in the Shaldag unit," an elite commando unit in the Israel Defense Forces, published a letter in which they announced that they would stop volunteering for reserve service in the IDF, as long as the legislation of the reform articles in the judicial system continues.
After the publication of the letter, which caused an uproar and received headlines on the Israeli news sites, officials in the security establishment, to whom the letter was allegedly addressed, clarified that it was sent only to the media, and not to any officer in the IDF. In addition, a security official privy to the details, who was in contact with some of the signatories, explained that most of the signatories to the letter have not been part of the reserve system for a number of years already, and have not served in active military service in recent years in any case.
Anti-overhaul protesters vow to step up fight, will blockade airport on Monday. As government renews legislation, reservists again threatening to refuse to serve; IDF says they’ll be disciplined if they don’t show up; former MK calls for nonviolent rebellion [TOI]… pic.twitter.com/O0fDTGmo4X
— Eli Dror (@edrormba) June 27, 2023
The letter itself states that "as long as the unilateral steps to eliminate the democratic regime and the establishment of tyranny continue, under the false cover of ‘judicial reform', as long as the legislation that harms the independence of the judicial system, the rule of law, and the democratic integrity of the regime is not stopped, we immediately stop our volunteering to an active reserve service", but as mentioned most of the signatories are not part of that service and were bluffing.
They also wrote that "as we have done until today, we will continue to struggle and fight for the state's values, chief among them absolute freedom and equality for every citizen, regardless of race, sex or religion. We will continue to serve our state and our people by standing up for their protection against the destructive threat directed at them from within. We look forward to the day when an Israeli government will preserve the values ​​of the Declaration of Independence, equality, justice, and freedom, and will be committed to a democratic-liberal regime, in a way that will allow us to return to our base with pride, and continue to serve our country even in the reserves."
#Breaking: "They've broken the contract." Hundreds of reservist IDF pilots in operational units announce they are stopping volunteer duty "until the government overhaul legislation is shelved." pic.twitter.com/l35k9lu9lO
— Noga Tarnopolsky × ×’×” ×˜×¨× ×•×¤×•×œ×¡×§×™ نوغا ترنوبولسكي💙 (@NTarnopolsky) June 27, 2023
Earlier today, the IDF announced that reservists who choose not to report due to any political events will be dealt with at the command level, the IDF also announced that any case of failure to report, for training or operational activity, will be considered a refusal to obey a reserve order, even in the voluntary formations.
