Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called on the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee to convene on Monday in a “secret meeting” that tackles the crisis in the Israeli military as more officers and soldiers fail to show up to service.
The Times of Israel reported that the meeting aims to discuss the crisis resulting from the protest of officers against the amendment of judicial laws.
The secret meeting would mainly discuss the “efficiency” of the military, said a Knesset member.
The session was presented as a “political and security session” to discuss the efficiency and readiness of the Israeli military to carry out regular and emergency missions.
In a call with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Gallant stressed that “his chief mission, together with the heads of the security establishment, is to unite the ranks and maintain the army’s readiness due to the many security challenges.”
A total of 600 reservist soldiers of the Air Force abandoned the military, according to a statement by the anti-overhaul protest movement “Brothers in Arms”, in protest against passing the controversial “reasonableness” judicial bill.
A letter signed by 1,142 volunteers at the Air Force had threatened days ago to resign if the bill was passed.
The Brothers in Arms consists of pilots, members from the drones’ body, control body, and the operations center, and members from the special unit. They are all active in the Air Force Reserve.
The Israeli military said that the reserve forces' non-compliance would undermine the troops’ efficiency.
“If reservists do not report for duty for a long time, there will be damage to the army’s competence. This is a gradual process that will be affected according to the reporting for duty of the reservists,” Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said.
Some 10,000 Israel reservists will suspend their volunteer reserve duty.
The reservists warned that they won’t be able to serve in an “undemocratic Israel.”
The rebellion in the military continues despite calls by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leaders to keep the army outside discussions.
“Days of controversy and crisis require emphasizing the shared and the unifying [tasks]... defending the country is our deep commitment,” military chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said in a statement.
He continued that the Israeli military is “ready for any challenge, this is our imperative to assure the existence of the state.”
The army’s protective force is made up of “every soldier, every commander, in the reserve and standing army, who work together for a common goal,” he added.
The crisis in Israel isn’t restricted to the military, given that several syndicates have started a partial strike while the labor union Histadrut threatens with full shutdown.
“There is a significant risk that political and social tensions over the issue will continue, with negative consequences for Israel’s economy and security situation,” Moody’s warned in a report.
Moreover, several senior scientists on the Israel Atomic Energy Commission have threatened to resign to protest the government’s judicial overhaul.
The scientists are among several dozen experts who are “responsible for the development of Israel’s nuclear capability,” Channel 13 reported.
The report said the scientists had been discussing their possible resignations in recent weeks, but there was no collective protest action, and that each of the scientists would decide on the matter individually.
The scientists were still deliberating the matter with each other and their predecessors, along with “heads of the scientific military community,” but have not breached the subject with their superiors, Channel 13 reported.
