From the Liveblog of
Sunday, June 16, 2024
Amid growing criticism, cabinet appears to cancel discussion on extending IDF reservists’ service
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
The cabinet appears to postpone an expected discussion on extending an emergency measure delaying retirement for IDF reservists that was widely expected to take place today.
Leaked copies of the government’s agenda do not show the Defense Ministry-backed “draft Security Service Law” — which calls for extending a temporary measure raising the age of cessation of reserve military service from 40 to 41 for soldiers, from 45 to 46 for officers and from 49 to 50 for specialists such as doctors and air crewmen — until the end of the year.
The current increase in the exemption age, which was initially passed by the Knesset late last year, is set to expire at the end of the month.
If eventually approved by the Knesset, the draft bill would mark the second extension of the measure, which was intended as a stopgap solution to prevent a mass release from the reserves of soldiers reaching the exemption age amid ongoing combat operations in Gaza.
The discussion had been expected to be held in the shadow of the announcement that 10 soldiers, including two reservists, were killed in Gaza, while an 11th succumbed to wounds sustained earlier in the week.
The government is facing criticism as the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee is set to debate a bill lowering the age of exemption from mandatory service for Haredi yeshiva students despite an ongoing manpower shortage that has required extended terms of service for IDF reservists.
