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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| IDF admits protesting reservists have caused some harm to its readiness |
| 2023-08-09 |
| [IsraelTimes] Army spokesman says adverse impact, caused by thousands of reservists’ decision to stop showing up for volunteer duty in protest of judicial overhaul, particularly marked in IAF. Suicidal asses, all, doing just what the Biden administration ‘s State Department wants done — and only the cadres get paid for it. The chief spokesperson of the Israel Defense Forces acknowledged Tuesday that the thousands of soldiers who have been refusing to report for volunteer reserve duty in protest of the government’s judicial overhaul have caused a degree of harm to the army’s readiness, warning that divisions within the ranks due to the ongoing political crisis could take significant time to heal."You asked about [military] fitness — the IDF is ready for war, but there is limited harm in some areas," Daniel Hagari said in a Channel 12 interview, highlighting the Israeli Air Force as one unit that has been particularly harmed by the protest. Hagari pointed to the IAF’s flight school where some reservist pilots opposed to the overhaul volunteer as instructors — "People who leave everything, once a week, and go to train the young pilots. A significant number are deciding not to come." The IDF spokesperson clarified that the flight school still "functions and will continue to function," but he warned of damage down the road if pilots with "great expertise" do not train their successors. Hagari said that IDF brass is working to contain the damage by holding one-on-one meetings with reservists. "They all have different red lines and look at things differently, but they’re very emotional about this." "It’s a turbulent period in the country, and it’s impacting the IDF," Hagari added. His comments come after a report last week said the IAF reduced flight hours in one stage of its helicopter pilots course after nearly half of the volunteer reservist instructors refused to show up for duty in protest of the ruling coalition’s plans for weakening the judiciary. For several weeks, as the government advanced the first major bill of its judicial overhaul, a tide that rose to more than 10,000 reservists who frequently show up for duty on a voluntary basis said they would no longer do so. The reservists have warned they will not be able to serve in an undemocratic Israel, which some charge the country will become if the government implements its overhaul. Israel has approximately 465,000 reservists. 10,000 is ... about 2% .The IDF relies heavily on volunteering reservists, especially pilots, for its routine activities. Unlike most reservists who are called up for duty with a formal order several days a year, pilots and other special forces are expected to train and carry out missions more frequently and in a voluntary manner due to the nature of their posts.The IAF and other top units also rely on veterans to volunteer and train the newer generation. |
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