Israeli military begins suspensions of rebellious reservists
One hundred and thirty Israeli army reservists signed a petition recently refusing military service if Tel Aviv does not commit to a Gaza exchange deal
The Israeli military has begun suspending army reservists who recently announced plans to refuse service if Tel Aviv does not seek to conclude an exchange deal in the Gaza Strip, Haaretz newspaper reported on 15 October.
The Israeli newspaper reported last week that 130 reservists signed a petition declaring their intention to refuse service.
“The suspensions began a few days ago with phone calls to all the reservists who signed the statement,” Haaretz reported. All five of the signatories were on active duty, including one serving in Gaza.
One signatory told his colleagues that he denied signing the petition when asked about it by his superiors in the army, according to the report. Another said he received a “threatening” call, while a third said he was given a “lengthy reprimand” by the commander of his brigade, who told him that the army was debating whether he should continue service.
“I wanted to inform you that the army views the use of military reserve duty very gravely when you're involved in petitions of some kind or another … We'll have trouble calling up anyone who signed this petition in the future,” a commander told Max Kresch, one of the 64 reservists who signed the petition with their full name.
Kresch responded to the commander by saying he would “have trouble remaining in the reserves because of a deep crisis of trust.”
Haaretz newspaper initially reported on the reservists’ petition on 9 October. The petition highlighted that continuing the war endangers the captives and delays any possible release, while noting that many more have been killed by Israeli airstrikes than have been rescued in military operations.
“We, who serve and have served with dedication and while risking [our] lives, hereby announce that if the government does not immediately change course and work toward a deal to bring the hostages back home, we will not be able to continue serving. For some of us, the red line has been crossed,” the petition added.
Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip have caused the deaths of numerous captives being held by the Palestinian resistance since the start of the war in October last year.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s insistence on keeping troops in Gaza and persisting with military operations, even in the event of an exchange deal, has stalemated negotiations, as Hamas continues to demand a full withdrawal and permanent ceasefire. The premier has been accused by Israelis of deliberately sabotaging the talks.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah has maintained its vow that its operations against Israel – which have expanded significantly since Tel Aviv’s brutal escalation against the country – will not stop until the war on Gaza ends.
Israeli forces are taking heavy losses in ground operations, which began in southern Lebanon at the start of this month. Hebrew news outlet Channel 13 reported on 2 October that Hezbollah almost managed to capture soldiers from the elite Egoz unit during an ambush that day.
The report said that Hezbollah is “planning to kidnap soldiers.”