IDF chief: Reservists’ refusal to serve harms military, national security

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi attends a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, July 18, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi attends a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, July 18, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Speaking at a Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting, military chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi says calls by reservists to refuse to serve in protest of the judicial overhaul cause harm to the Israel Defense Forces.

“Anyone who calls for not showing up [for duty] harms the IDF and harms the security of the state,” Chief of Staff Halevi says.

“Our goal these days is to combine competence and cohesion” in the military, Halevi adds.

After his opening remarks, Halevi gives a classified briefing to the members of the committee.

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