In a letter sent Friday to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former senior defense officials warn that Israel stands "on the eve of the Yom Kippur War."
It's a shocking statement, and not just because we will soon mark the 50th anniversary of that accursed war. It's shaky for two other reasons. The first is the warning: once again the political echelon is marching into the abyss, drunk on power, its ears and eyes impervious to sounds and dangers. The second is the warnings: a long list of people who have carried Israel's security on their backs and hold a gold share in turning it into a unique and one-time power in the world.
"The maritime legislative process is devastation for all of us": 10,000 reservists join in announce termination of reporting \\ Shmuel Buchris
Quite a few of these people did not believe they would ever sign a petition. H.G., for example, is a retired division head in the Mossad. Behind these initials hides the head of the Mossad's operations division (Caesarea) during the time of Meir Dagan, a true Israeli hero who was responsible for a long list of operations that crossed imagination and borders. If a person like him decides to support the suspension of many people from reporting for reserve duty, it is worth stopping and finding out what is happening here.
H.G. is a story. He grew up as an ultra-Orthodox, went out on a question, volunteered for the flotilla (in Yoav Galant's class) and continued his long and successful service in the Mossad. Netanyahu knows him well. In one well-known operation that was less successful, he was asked to come and talk to the fighters to encourage their spirits. Although as prime minister he personally approved the operation at the time, Netanyahu did not come, so that failure would not stick to him. Instead, then-President Shimon Peres spoke to the fighters.
Can't escape the event, Netanyahu, Photo: Mark Israel Salem
This time, Netanyahu cannot escape the event. He is responsible for it. Pointing arrows at pilots will not help him, which is a classic victim's accusation. The bag is all on him. He willingly move forward and inflict unprecedented damage on Israel. He willingly stops and strives for a solution that will prevent catastrophe.
The government is allowed to legislate, there is no question about that. It must not collapse democracy. Whoever claims that this is only the ground of reasonableness is either naïve or lying. Look at Shlomo Karai and the attempt to smash the media; Look at my uncle Amsalem and the onslaught of government appointments; Look at Itamar Ben-Gvir and the crushing of the police; And we can go on, or simply mention that even the ground of reasonableness alone makes it possible to effectively collapse the entire tower, as even right-wing jurists warn.
The magnitude of the tragedy, Netanyahu is not stopping. At this crucial moment, with the fate of the nation at stake, he chooses politics and his personal survival over the country. Therefore, the pilots were forced over the weekend to do something in his place. With great pain, out of harm to something that is most dear to them, but also out of an understanding that the government is violating the contract they signed with the state: not to serve at any price, but to serve a Jewish and democratic state.
Dissolution can be stopped
Over the weekend, many claimed that the lists of Air Force personnel who stop reporting for reserve duty were fabricated and inflated. Unfortunately, those who claim so are not living the event. The situation is even more difficult than described. Many more don't sign letters, but simply won't show up. A reserve pilot is required to arrive every week in order to maintain fitness. If he informs his commander that he is going on a two-month trip until after the holidays, he will not be registered as a refuser, but in practice he will be deducted from the number of available pilots because it will take several months to return him to fitness.
The Air Force is talking about hundreds, maybe more. And not just there. Also in intelligence, in the Special Operations Directorate and in elite units. This fire now threatens to scorch the other security forces as well. Many put question marks, which will only intensify. Next, they will wonder about the nature of the decisions, for example around the government's considerations of sending them to a particular operation. This process of dissolution can be halted, if the legislation is stopped. Nothing is burning for the government. The only thing that has been burning here for six months is the state. Netanyahu has 48 hours to choose between destruction and hope. If he chooses destruction, he may find that his dimensions are many times larger than he realized.
The list of signatories to the letter also includes Tal Shaul. Former commander of the combat unit in Shayetet 13, who moved to the Shin Bet after Rabin's assassination in order to rehabilitate the personal security unit and continued until he commanded the operations division. His brother, Dror, is the creator of the cult film "Operation Grandma", which culminates in the sentence: "You start as fast as you can and slowly increase." If the legislation passes, this is exactly what could happen tomorrow to the process of the disintegration of the State of Israel.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us