IDF funds frozen until reservists get full bonus

Economics Minister Naftali Bennett on Thursday requested that all budget transfers to the Defense Ministry be frozen pending a solution to the reduction in bonuses given to IDF soldiers in 2012.

Bennett had said he “won’t tolerate” the cuts announced Wednesday by the army, which described the measure as an inevitable consequence of the massive call-up during Operation Pillar of Defense in the Gaza Strip.

The move elicited protests from reservists and politicians alike and prompted Bennett to recommend that fellow party member Nissan Slomiansky, the chairman of the Knesset Finance Committee, freeze all cash earmarked for the IDF until money could be allocated to cover the difference between the 2011 and 2012 bonuses.

“By hook or by crook, the reservists will receive every agora owed them,” Bennett said in explaining his decision.

Slomiansky announced that the funds would be frozen, saying, “reservists shouldn’t have to finance the military operations that they’re called upon to carry out.”

Earlier, Deputy Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot pledged to lead the effort to obtain the missing funds. Talks on the matter were scheduled throughout the day.

In addition to payment for every day of active service, reservists are given bonuses based on their time in uniform. The funds are transferred to soldiers’ bank accounts on May 1 of every year.

But the rise in the number of reservists called up during November’s Gaza offensive — thousands more than in 2011 — meant that the NIS 300 million doled out annually by the army would be divided among more people, the IDF said in a statement Wednesday.

In 2011, the bonus for a reservist who served 15-19 days of reserve duty was NIS 2,580, but in 2012, those who served 10-17 days will receive only NIS 1,308 — just above half the previous year’s sum.

The IDF said the state was responsible for funding the bonuses and had not made any special allocations due to Pillar of Defense. “If the army receives more funds for this matter, the bonuses will grow proportionally,” the statement said.

Bennett, a reservist officer in one of the army’s elite commando units, wrote in an urgent letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the government should find a way to make up the difference.

“In these days especially, when there is a need to maintain the volunteering spirit among Israel’s citizens, I think we can all agree on the need to safeguard the rights of our reservists,” he wrote. “I won’t tolerate the negative impact on reservists who fought in Pillar of Defense. The reservists’ enlistment to defend our home should merit an increase — certainly not a reduction.”

Maoz Koren, a reserve officer, told Israel Hayom that there was irony in the fact that the law required that call-ups for reserve duty be given 60 days in advance, while an announcement that compensation for such duty was being cut could be delivered a mere two weeks before payment was expected.

Many soldiers opt out of reserve duty, and those who do serve tend to encounter difficulty in taking the time off work, Koren said. “But, regardless, the guys reported and will report to duty when called. Why? Because they know that at the end of the day, no one else can do the job.”

Cutting the reservists’ bonuses sends “a distorted message” if Israel wants to encourage all sectors in society to contribute, MK Eitan Cabel (Labor) said. “We can’t accept a situation in which the small number of reservists aren’t rewarded properly.”