Israel: Netanyahu’s plan causes a split in the armed forces

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Shraga Tichover hangs up his combat uniform. After three decades in the reserve, the paratrooper says he will no longer risk his life for a country that is turning autocracy.

Tichover is part of an unprecedented wave of opposition within the ranks of the Israeli armed forces against a controversial government plan to reform the judiciary. Many reservists, like Tichover, refuse to report when called upon, and former commanders see this as a natural reaction to impending change.

“The values ​​of this country will change. I cannot review in the armed forces of a state that is not a democracy,” said Tichover, a 53-year-old volunteer reservist who fought in southern Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank.

These statements in defiance of military instructions, usually taboo, reflect the deep division that reigns in the country and tears apart what, for Israeli Jews, is the most respected institution: the armed forces. Fears are growing that the protest could reach the ranks of young conscripts.

In a statement that rocked the country, three dozen reserve fighter pilots said they would not report for training this week. Airmen are elite military personnel and irreplaceable elements of many Israeli battle plans.

Air Force chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar met with about 50 squad leaders last week to hear their concerns. In a subsequent letter to pilots, Bar acknowledged the “difficulties and challenges” facing the country, but said the Air Force must remain true to its mission of protecting national security.

Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzl Halevi reportedly warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week that the reservists’ protest threatened to affect military effectiveness. Halevi plans to meet Bar and around 20 pilots in the next few hours.

For the Israeli Jewish majority, almost all of whom are required to serve in the military, the military is a source of unity and a pathway to adulthood, civilian life and work.

After three years of compulsory service, many men remain in the reserve until their forties, when service becomes voluntary.

Most of those who threaten not to run are volunteers, so they are not punished.