As more reservists refuse to serve, IDF said seeing drop in troops reporting for duty

Reports proliferated Wednesday of reservist soldiers from multiple units throughout the military declaring they would not show up for duty, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government pushes forward with its plan to overhaul the judiciary.

Meanwhile, a report in Haaretz said that the IDF has identified a significant drop in the number of ground force troops reporting for reserve duty.

In the elite 551st Paratroopers Brigade, only 57 percent of reservists reported for duty this week — down significantly from the usual turnout of 90%, according to the Wednesday report. The unit had been expecting a 78% turnout rate among its 700 reservists amid opposition to the government’s effort to radically restrict the Supreme Court’s power, but army officials were dismayed to learn that the protest’s scope had gone much further than they anticipated. READ MORE