The Air Force and the military intelligence is the most impacted among sectors of the IDF, compared to the infantry and other field units, senior military officials told lawmakers on Wednesday. Speaking to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, the officials said that the IDF is currently able to meet its challenges but may not be in the future.
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A growing number of reservists said they would refuse to serve if the judicial laws are passed, claiming that they refuse to serve a regime that is compromising Israeli democracy by weakening the courts which are a co-equal branch of government.
The officials said that they were actively working to prevent the better-trained and experienced reservists including the pilots from leaving the force and presented their plan to deal with the crisis. They warned that as the protests continue, more of their reservists would refuse to appear for duty and maintain their preparedness for battle.
The briefing held behind closed doors comes amid increased public criticism of the Chief of Staff and his senior commanders from members of the coalition, some accusing the top military brass of being politically motivated. Some among the far-right ministers even accused commanders of the forces in the West Bank as well as other senior security officials of favoring Palestinians over the need to protect settlers there.
Settlements Minister Orit Strock went so far as to compare the IDF to the Russian Wagner Group by undermining the government.
On Monday, it was the son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who added his voice to the accusations, retweeting a post by another Netanyahu associate who said the military chief was responsible for the weakening of Israel's security. Although the post was condemned by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, immediately as he expressed his support for the chief of staff, the prime minister was silent for an additional day before issuing a statement of support for the IDF and its commanders.
Netanyahu was reported to have shouted at Herzi Halevi and other commanders when they met on Sunday for a long-awaited briefing on the military's preparedness for war amid the crisis. Sources then said Netanyahu was angered by the compromise to the military but blamed the Air Force chief and other senior officers for not doing enough to punish those reservists.