The commander of the Israeli Air Force, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, met with several IAF reservists and veterans this week after they threatened to issue a public letter calling on reservists to stop reporting for duty, Hebrew media reported.
According to widespread media reports, the protest letter was drafted in response to the resumption of fighting in Gaza, the dismissals of Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) head Ronen Bar and Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, as well as government plans to reform the judiciary.
The IAF commander reportedly held multiple meetings with those who drafted the missive, most of whom were said to no longer serve in the reserves. Bar asked them to postpone the publication of the letter and give him time to address their concerns, Israel’s Ynet outlet reported.
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir joined at least one of the meetings, the Hebrew website reported, citing him as telling the group, “Provide backup for Tomer Bar, do not cooperate with the mistakes of the past—I expect you to strengthen the air force.”
The meeting with Zamir reportedly included Eliezer Shkedi, Dan Halutz and Ido Nehoshtan, former IAF commanders who have emerged as top critics of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government.
In 2023, thousands of Israeli reservists threatened to refuse to report for duty due to Jerusalem’s now largely shelved judicial reform proposals.
Some 11,000 reservists, including 1,000 Israeli Air Force personnel, said they would refuse to serve in protest of the judicial reform plans, raising concerns about the IDF’s ability to respond to threats.
In March 2023, Netanyahu described soldiers’ refusal to report for duty for political reasons as an existential threat, warning it “threatens the foundation of our existence, and it must have no place in our ranks.”
Documents seized by IDF soldiers in Gaza following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre reportedly showed that the terror group felt emboldened by the rifts in Israeli society.
While then-Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said the IDF must remain outside political controversies, the military under his command did not take any significant measures against those who threatened refusal.
Last month, Zamir dismissed two IDF reservists who threatened not to report for duty following Jerusalem’s launching of new strikes in Gaza.
