Elite IDF Reservists Promise to Keep Serving

On Tuesday, reserve soldiers of the Maglan commando unit of the Israel Defense Forces said that they would be present for “any operational activity or training, if and when required.

The declaration was made amid demands to boycott reserve duty in opposition to the Netanyahu administration’s plan for judicial reform. In a letter to IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the reservists stated that their passion for Israel and its people was ten times stronger than any political consideration.

“We call our fellow men to arms, the beloved soldiers and commanders with whom we have been fighting for years, shoulder to shoulder, from all the army units and the security system:

This is indeed a difficult time, but together we will win as always,” the message read. Col. Amos Hacohen, one of the organizers, told Arutz 7 on Tuesday that “we want to reach many hundreds of people.

“Like previous petitions that have been circulated in recent days, this one ends with a statement emphasizing the value of army unity. To us, maintaining it is of utmost importance.

There is no one we are battling, and the conflict is not political.

He continued, “There are two major risks involved in involving the army in the conflict and complicating the military architecture.

One is that our adversaries will perceive this argument as a vulnerability and use the opportunity to attack us.

The precedent of moving the conflict into the military is the second threat. Tomorrow, it will serve a different side of the political spectrum than it does today.

Maglan excels at conducting operations deep within hostile territory and behind enemy lines.

Although the unit was established in 1986, its existence wasn’t made public until 2006. The General Staff Reconnaissance Force (Sayeret Matkal), the Shayetet 13 naval commando force, and the Military Intelligence Directorate are just a few of the reservists from other units who have recently received similar letters.

The statements were made in response to other volunteer reservists, including pilots, who said they would refuse to report for duty if the government persisted in trying to pass a bill that would eliminate the Supreme Court’s ability to overturn laws and executive orders based on whether or not the judges believed them to be “reasonable.”

The law was approved last week after its first reading in the Israeli Knesset.

The bill’s final revisions were discussed by the Knesset Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee on Monday and Tuesday before it was sent back to the plenum for its second and third readings, which are required for it to become law.

Reservists from numerous units have threatened to stop their volunteer service in response to weeks of protests over the proposed judicial reform.

Over the political issue, thousands of reservists have signed letters threatening to renounce their obligations to the country.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the threat that IDF reservists who threaten to abstain from active duty represent to the nation on Monday.

It is impossible for there to be a group within the army that threatens the elected government [and says] if you don’t do as we wish, we will turn off the switch on security,” Netanyahu stated during the weekly Cabinet meeting.

He added that only in military regimes does the government obey the army and that “those waving the flag of democracy should be the first to come out against this phenomenon.

“No democratic country can accept such a dictate,” he stated. This week, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with Netanyahu and the IDF chief of staff to examine the problem of conscientious objectors.

The Defense Ministry stated in a statement that Gallant and Halevi gave Netanyahu a briefing on the “security situation and the competence of the IDF.”