Pilots said to tell Gallant they won’t fly sorties if Israel not democratic

Pilots in the Israeli Air Force reserves reportedly warned Tuesday that they may not be willing to carry out attacks on behalf of Israel should it slide into authoritarianism, expressing sympathy for colleagues who have suspended volunteer duty to protest the government’s designs on the judiciary.

The pilots made the comments during a meeting with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as he sought to bridge a growing divide between the government and military, the Ynet news website reported.

Airmen who met with Gallant at the Ramon air base in southern Israel told him they understood their fellow reserves pilots who had already stopped volunteering for training or operational duty to protest the judicial overhaul. They told Gallant that pilots did not want to carry out attacks on behalf of a non-democratic country, and they were considering joining the revolt, the news site reported. READ MORE