He urged these reservists to reconsider, saying, “I call on them to return to service.”
And he warned that Israel would be in existential peril without a unified IDF including the “best” soldiers.
“If ours is not a strong and unified army, and if the best do not serve in the IDF, we will not able to continue to exist as a state in the region,” said Halevi.
“We have acted to keep [the IDF] out of the debate, but due to its intensity in Israeli society, we were pulled into it, and the cohesion [of the military] has been harmed,” the chief of staff wrote in a (Hebrew) letter to troops. “It is our duty to prevent these cracks from widening.”
Halevi said he would not discuss the debate over the overhaul, but noted that the IDF’s role is to “protect the country, including to allow debate in safe conditions.”
Otherwise, “a ground troop may mistakenly think a pilot in the Air Force won’t assist them because of the debate; and a pilot may mistakenly think they do not need to prepare and remain battle-ready, when in reality, they may be needed soon,” Halevi warned.
Halevi was apparently referring in part to a staged video shared last week on social media — including by government ministers — depicting Israeli Air Force pilots refusing to help ground troops attacked by enemy forces due to the formers’ perceived support for the government’s plans to overhaul the judicial system. The IDF slammed the video at the time, saying it aims to cause “internal incitement” within the Israel Defense Forces. READ MORE