- Tom Bateman
- BBC – Jerusalem
The pilots are the latest military reservists to be threatened to stop serving
Airmen from the Israeli Air Force’s elite squadron have vowed not to attend the training, in an unprecedented protest once morest the government.
Nearly 40 reserve pilots from the 69th Squadron refused to join a one-day training exercise this week.
This position is seen as an unprecedented political move by some of Israel’s most strategically important reservists.
It is also indicative of growing opposition to the ruling National Coalition’s plans to reform the judicial system.
An unnamed pilot told the Ynet news site that members of the squadron “warn that they are not ready to serve a dictatorial regime.”
Meanwhile, national airline El Al said it had found a crew to fly Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife to Italy for a planned state visit this week, following media reports that its pilots had refused to fly the couple as part of the protests.
In another sign of growing anxiety among the Israeli military leadership, ten former Israeli Air Force commanders published an open letter calling on Netanyahu to “stop and find a solution” to the crisis, given the level of protest among pilots and aircrews.
“We fear the repercussions of these operations and the grave and tangible danger to Israeli national security,” the letter said.
This comes in the wake of the announcement of the reservists in the elite intelligence unit 8200 last week, that they refrain from participating in their reserve duties.
Israel’s reservists are a major component of its military forces, often in front-line roles and, in the case of the Air Force, regularly participating in active combat operations.
Netanyahu responded over the weekend, tweeting a black and white photo of his military ID from when he was conscripted in 1967.
“When called to reserve duty, we always respond. We are one nation,” he wrote.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also called on reservists to come to duty.
He said, “Any call for rejection harms the work of the Israeli army and its ability to carry out its tasks.”
Anti-government protests have continued to grow since Netanyahu returned to power at the end of last year, leading the most right-wing and nationalist coalition in Israel’s history and promising sweeping changes to the Israeli justice system.
They include new laws that would give the government complete control over the appointment of judges, and ultimately strip the Supreme Court of crucial powers to overturn legislation.
Most legal scholars say the reforms will effectively eliminate the independence of the judiciary, while opposition figures describe the proposals as an attempted “coup once morest the regime” by the prime minister and his coalition.
Netanyahu is also on trial on corruption charges, and opponents say legal reforms might help him escape conviction.
The proposals sparked the largest anti-government demonstrations in Israel’s history, with an estimated 150,000 people taking to the streets of Tel Aviv, and tens of thousands in protests elsewhere on Saturday.
During last week’s demonstrations, security forces used stun grenades and water cannons once morest demonstrators, following the far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, vowed to crack down on “anarchists” who blocked the roads.
Netanyahu says the reforms are intended to prevent the courts from overreaching their powers and that the Israeli public voted for them in the last elections.
Reportedly, the reserve pilots worry that the new hardline government’s behavior might expose them to prosecution by the International Criminal Court, without being able to argue that Israel’s independent judiciary is ultimately responsible for investigating wrongdoing by its forces.
Despite this, human rights groups and Palestinian officials have long dismissed Israeli investigations into its forces’ conduct as vindication.
The threat of a boycott of the training by Israel’s reservists is not uncommon, but the size and seniority of the participants is now unprecedented.
The pilots’ protest adds to statements made by reservists in almost every combat or intelligence unit in recent weeks, threatening not to serve if the government presses through with the controversial changes.
Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy reportedly spoke with Netanyahu, warning him that the action might harm the army’s operational capabilities.