JERUSALEM (Reuters) – An Israeli general who stood in front of a tank on the border with the Palestinian territory of Gaza midway through a speech on the fight against the Islamic group Hamas, said that despite being televised, he Includes criticism of leaders.
The critic was Brigadier General Dan Goldfuss. He called on politicians “from all sides” to unite against extremism and avoid a return to the status quo before the conflict began last October. At the time, Israel was deeply divided due to political conflicts and months of protests.
In a March 13 briefing aired on Israel’s main television station, Brigadier General Goldfuss said, “Politicians should be worthy of us. Politicians should be worthy of the soldiers who lost their lives.” ” he said.
Two days later, Brigadier General Goldfuss was reprimanded by the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). However, the brigadier general’s words resonated with some of the people returning from the battle.
Barak Reicher, 42, who just completed a five-month tour of duty as a reservist, said, “Many people feel that politicians are spending their time fighting nonsense while they are sacrificing their lives and time.” “He spoke for the soldiers.”
Reuters spoke to 13 reservists and conscripts on military bases, in Congress, at their homes and at protest sites. While all noted the high morale of the soldiers on the battlefield, most expressed dissatisfaction with Israel’s political leadership.
Soldiers with opposing political views expressed anger at the government’s failure to address important issues, such as conscription reform and the economic problems faced by reservists after they leave the military.
The Israeli military has declined to comment on government policy and did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters. No response was received from the Prime Minister’s Office.
Israelis were united in grief after the October 7 Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages. Prime Minister Netanyahu has formed a national unity cabinet that incorporates the centrist party led by his political rival, former Defense Minister Gantz.
The new government calmed the political turmoil in Israel last year, which saw large-scale protests over the right-wing government’s unpopular judicial reforms.
However, divisions have since been exposed once again. Ministers have accused each other of failings in the security system that led to the October 7 attack, and there have been skirmishes over finances and power struggles over wartime cabinet posts.
The focus of the conflict is the March 31 deadline set by the Supreme Court for Netanyahu’s coalition government to draft a new conscription bill. If done poorly, it could be fatal for the Cabinet.
Netanyahu’s government relies on the support of ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties, which have vowed to uphold widely-granted draft exemptions for their members.
However, former Defense Minister Gantz has hinted that he may leave the government if his demand for a fairer military conscription law is not implemented, and current Defense Minister Gantz also said that the bill must be unanimously supported by the Cabinet. He has stated that he will not support the move, and has shown an attitude of coming to terms with Mr. Gantz.
The draft exemption for ultra-Orthodox Jews has long been a source of frustration for many ordinary Israelis, who are required to serve in the military for two to three years once they turn 18.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews also consider full-day religious study a sacred act, do not engage in taxable livelihoods, and rely solely on state benefits to survive. Meanwhile, Israeli citizens who have served in the military may be called up as reservists until around age 40 or even later, during which time they will be away from work and home.
Reservists played a key role in the 2023 protests against proposed judicial reforms. Some people argued that the reform plan would water down the Supreme Court and threatened to refuse to convene it.
This month, the Brothers in Arms, which was one of the most prominent reservist organizations participating in the protests at the time, announced that it would resume street demonstrations to protest against the government, this time focusing on reforming the conscription law.
“Protesting is the only way to get anything done in this country,” Army Reserve Capt. Omri Ronen, a member of Brothers in Arms, said at one of the nationwide rallies on Monday. Stated. “This may be our last chance. We can’t let it pass.”
For many years, the military was based on conscription and consisted of Israeli citizens of various demographics. The military’s code of ethics dictated that it should distance itself from politics.
But reservists have played a role in influencing political change after conflicts. After the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and the conflicts in Lebanon in the 1980s and 2006, protests against the government accelerated the decline of the then-Israeli leadership.
According to a survey of 1,200 people released on March 14 by the nonpartisan Israel Democracy Institute (IDI), a nonpartisan think tank, Jews, who make up the majority in Israel, have more trust in the IDF than they do in political leaders. Trust was about four times higher.
“Less than a quarter of citizens trust their elected officials,” said IDI President Yohanan Plesner. However, he points out that the sense of solidarity with Israeli society as a whole has recovered since the start of the war, compared to its low level in mid-2023, when large-scale protests were seen.
Since launching its ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, Israel has called up approximately 300,000 reservists. This will be the largest mobilization in decades. Discharge began about four months later.
Some discharged reservists have taken to the streets to participate in protests. Although the number of participants is far smaller than last year’s large-scale protests, protests are being held somewhere in the country almost every day.
Leif Abel (25) was scheduled to begin his research career in October last year, but ended up fighting in Gaza for 120 days. During his time in the military, he says soldiers around him were killed by anti-tank missile attacks.
Like several reservists who spoke to Reuters, Abel said he felt abandoned by the government when he returned to civilian life.
“If I get discharged from the military, I’ll have to buy my own groceries, but prices are going up and my rent is going to go up as well. The government has no interest in my life at all. I’m anxious about my survival in politics.” says Abel.
On February 26, Abel joined a demonstration of several hundred people outside Israel’s Supreme Court. The Supreme Court was hearing a challenge to the draft exemption granted to ultra-Orthodox Jews.
The issue has become increasingly disturbing as fighting in Gaza has left Israel with the highest number of casualties in decades. According to the IDF, about 600 Israeli soldiers have been killed since October 7, nearly five times the number of casualties in the 2006 Lebanon conflict.
However, Abel says he plans to accept the call if called up again. “The reason we still respond is because we know that we are defending Israel and that we are close to (retaking) the hostages.”
Health officials in the Gaza Strip say more than 32,000 people have been killed in the Israeli military operation.
For reservists, compounding their resentment of the draft system is the financial damage that comes with being away from work or business for months.
Since the start of the war, Israel has introduced support measures worth 9 billion shekels (approximately 370 billion yen) for reservists. The measures include increased benefits for families with children and guarantees and loans for business owners.
According to the Economic Commission, about 10,000 small and medium-sized business owners who responded to the convocation have applied for compensation benefits since January. About half have been approved so far, with more than 62 million shekels already paid out.
Israel’s main labor union, Histadrut, told the Labor Welfare Committee that it has received thousands of complaints from reservists alleging rights violations, including claims that their jobs were threatened. Officials do not have exact numbers on the number of reservists who have lost their jobs or livelihoods.
Combat Forum, an advocacy group for reservists led by Roy Mahfoud, says it has also received thousands of requests for help. “People are hurting,” Mahfoud said.
Shani Cohen (35) was called up on October 7th. For the first two months, he was on standby at the Gaza Strip border. He was fired from his job in January, Cohen said.
“I’m not a political person myself, but I feel like people are starting to forget that this country is at war,” Cohen said. “We should focus on what unites us, not what divides us.”
(Translation: Airkreren)
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2024-03-28 23:00:00
