{"id":293224,"date":"2025-04-14T12:01:08","date_gmt":"2025-04-14T11:01:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=293224"},"modified":"2025-04-14T06:58:27","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T05:58:27","slug":"the-israeli-army-is-facing-its-biggest-refusal-crisis-in-decades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2025\/04\/the-israeli-army-is-facing-its-biggest-refusal-crisis-in-decades\/","title":{"rendered":"The Israeli Army Is Facing Its Biggest Refusal Crisis in Decades"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Israeli soldiers seen on the border with Lebanon, northern Israel, 3 Dec 2024.\u00a0 (Ayal Margolin\/Flash90)<\/p><\/div>\n

Over 100,000 Israelis have reportedly stopped showing up for reserve duty. While their reasons differ, the scale demonstrates the country’s atrocities illegitimacy.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

11 Apr 2025\u00a0<\/em>–\u00a0No one can state precise numbers. No political party or leader calls for it explicitly. But anyone who has spent time at anti-government protests or on Hebrew-language social media in recent weeks knows it to be true: it is becoming increasingly legitimate to refuse to report for military service in Israel \u2014 and not only among the radical left<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the lead-up to the war, talk of refusal \u2014 or more precisely, \u201cceasing to volunteer\u201d for the reserves \u2014 had become a significant feature of the mass protests<\/a> against the Israeli government\u2019s judicial overhaul. At the height of those protests, in July 2023, over 1,000 pilots and Air Force personnel declared<\/a> that they would stop showing up for duty unless the legislation was halted, leading to warnings from senior military officials and the head of the Shin Bet that the judicial overhaul endangered national security.<\/p>\n

The Israeli right continues to argue to this day that those refusal threats not only encouraged Hamas to attack Israel but also weakened the army. But in truth, all the threats disappeared into the ether on October 7, with the protesters overwhelmingly and enthusiastically volunteering to enlist.<\/p>\n

For 18 months, the vast majority of Israel\u2019s Jewish population has rallied around the flag in support of the onslaught on Gaza. But particularly after the government decided to collapse the ceasefire last month, cracks have started to appear.<\/p>\n

In recent weeks, the media has reported a significant decline in soldiers showing up to reserve duty. Although the exact numbers are a closely guarded secret, the army informed Defense Minister Israel Katz in mid-March that the attendance rate stood at 80 percent, compared to around 120 percent immediately after October 7. According to Kan<\/a>, Israel\u2019s national broadcaster, that number was a fudge: the true rate is closer to 60 percent. Other reports speak of attendance rates of 50 percent or lower, with some reserve units resorting to trying to recruit soldiers<\/a> via social media.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n
A crowd of friends, family, and activists holds a solidarity protest in support of Ella Keidar Greenberg outside the Tel Hashomer recruitment center, before she declares her refusal to enlist in the Israeli army, March 19, 2025. (Oren Ziv)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cRefusal comes in waves, and this is the biggest wave since the First Lebanon War in 1982,\u201d Ishai Menuchin, one of the leaders of the refuser movement Yesh Gvul (\u201cThere is a Limit\u201d) which was founded during that war, told +972.<\/p>\n

Like conscription into the regular forces at age 18, it is compulsory for Israelis to serve in the reserves when summoned until the age of 40 (though this can vary depending on rank and unit). During wartime, the army is heavily dependent on these forces.<\/p>\n

At the start of the war, the army stated<\/a> that it had recruited around 295,000 reservists on top of the roughly 100,000 soldiers in regular service. If reports about 50-60 percent attendance in the reserves are accurate, that means over 100,000 people have stopped showing up for reserve duty. \u201cThat\u2019s a huge number,\u201d Menuchin noted. \u201cIt means the government will have a problem continuing the war.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOctober 7 initially created a feeling of \u2018Together we will win,\u2019 but that has now eroded,\u201d said Tom Mehager, an activist who refused to serve during the Second Intifada and now runs a social media page<\/a> that posts videos of past refuseniks explaining their decision. \u201cTo attack Gaza, three planes are enough \u2014 but refusal still draws red lines. It forces the system to understand the limits of its power.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Day after day, I see refusal declarations\u2019<\/h3>\n

The majority of those defying enlistment orders appear to be what\u2019s known as \u201cgray refusers\u201d \u2014 people who have no real ideological objection to the war but rather have grown demoralized, weary, or fed up that it is dragging on for so long. Alongside them are a small but growing minority of reservists who refuse on ethical grounds.<\/p>\n

According to Menuchin, Yesh Gvul has been in contact with over 150 ideological refusers since October 2023, while New Profile, another organization supporting refuseniks, has dealt with several hundred such cases. But whereas teenagers who refuse the compulsory draft for ideological reasons are subject to prison sentences<\/a> of several months, Menuchin is aware of only one reservist who was punished for their recent refusal \u2014 receiving a sentence of two weeks of probation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re afraid to put refusers in prison, because if they do, it could bury the model of the \u2018people\u2019s army,\u2019\u201d he explained. \u201cThe government understands this, and therefore it doesn\u2019t push too hard; it suffices with the army dismissing a few reservists, as if that will solve the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Israeli<\/a><\/p>\n
Israeli soldiers seen near the border with Syria, December 8, 2024. (Michael Giladi\/Flash90)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

As a result, Menuchin finds it difficult to estimate the true scale of this phenomenon. \u201cDuring the Lebanon War, our assessment was that for every refuser who went to prison, there were another eight to 10 ideological refusers,\u201d he says. \u201cSo if 150 or 160 people have declared that they won\u2019t go to the army for ideological reasons, it\u2019s reasonable to estimate that there are at least 1,500 ideological refusers. And that\u2019s just the tip of the iceberg [given the far larger number of non-ideological refusers].\u201d<\/p>\n

However, according to Yuval Green \u2014 who refused to continue serving in Gaza after disobeying an order to set fire to a Palestinian home<\/a>, and who now leads an anti-war movement called \u201cSoldiers for the Hostages<\/a>\u201d with 220 reservists signed on to its refusal statement \u2014 this binary categorization doesn\u2019t tell the whole story.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are more and more people who may not necessarily care about Palestinians but no longer feel at peace with the goals of the war,\u201d he explained. \u201cI call this \u2018gray-ideological refusal.\u2019 I have no way of knowing how many there are, but I\u2019m sure it\u2019s a lot.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the past, people I knew were really angry with me [for calling for refusal],\u201d Green continued. \u201cNow I feel much more understanding. We\u2019ve become more relevant. The media is covering us; we were invited to Channel 13 and Channel 11. Day after day, I see refusal declarations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recent examples abound. Last week, Haaretz published an op-ed<\/a> by the mother of a soldier who stated: \u201cOur children will not fight in a messianic war of choice.\u201d Another op-ed<\/a> in the same newspaper by an anonymous soldier declared: \u201cThe current war in Gaza is meant to buy political stability with blood. I will not take part in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others are less explicit, but the effect is similar. In a recent interview, former Supreme Court Justice Ayala Procaccia stopped short of endorsing refusal but called<\/a> for \u201ccivil disobedience.\u201d On April 10, nearly 1,000 Air Force reservists published<\/a> an open letter demanding a hostage deal that would end the war; they were soon joined<\/a> by hundreds of reservists in the Navy and the elite intelligence squad Unit 8200. Prime Minister Netanyahu responded<\/a>: \u201cRefusal is refusal \u2014 even when it is said implicitly and in laundered language.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Activists<\/a><\/p>\n
Activists from Free Jerusalem protest against the war in Gaza, Jerusalem, April 9, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg\/Flash90)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018The legitimacy of the regime is in danger\u2019<\/h3>\n

Yael Berda<\/a>, a sociologist at the Hebrew University and a left-wing activist, explained that the declining willingness to show up for reserve duty stems first and foremost from economic concerns. She referred to a recent survey<\/a> by the Israeli Employment Service which found that 48 percent of reservists reported a significant loss of income since October 7, and 41 percent said they were fired or forced to leave their jobs due to extended periods in the reserves.<\/p>\n

Menuchin also attributes significant weight to economic factors, but offers an additional explanation: \u201cIsraelis don\u2019t want to feel like suckers, and they\u2019re now reaching a point where they feel they\u2019re being exploited. They see others getting exemptions, and they wager that if something happens to them, no one will support them or their families. There\u2019s a feeling of abandonment: they see the families of the hostages crowdfunding just to survive. The bottom line is that the state isn\u2019t really there, and that\u2019s becoming clear to more and more Israelis.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of despair,\u201d Menuchin continued. \u201cPeople don\u2019t know where this is heading. You see the rush for foreign passports \u2014 even before October 7 \u2014 and the search for \u2018better\u2019 places to emigrate to. There\u2019s a growing retreat into concern for one\u2019s own interest group. And above all, the hostages are not being brought back.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it comes to ideological refusal, Berda identifies several categories. \u201cOne type of refusal stems from \u2018What I saw in Gaza,\u2019 but that\u2019s a minority,\u201d she explained. \u201cAnother type is loss of faith in the leadership, especially when the government didn\u2019t do everything it could to bring the hostages back. There\u2019s an intolerable gap between what the government said it was doing and what it actually did. And this gap causes people to lose trust.\u201d<\/p>\n

An additional category, Berda continued, is \u201cdisgust with the discourse of sacrifice\u201d promoted by the religious far-right, led by the likes of Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. \u201cIt\u2019s a kind of backlash against the settlers\u2019 narrative that says it\u2019s good to sacrifice your life for something bigger,\u201d Berda explained. \u201cPeople are reacting to the notion that the collective is more important than the individual by saying: \u2018The state\u2019s goals are important, but I have my own life.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

While noting that refusal threats were a major part of the anti-government protests of 2023, Berda asserted that \u201cnow, after the collapse of the ceasefire, it can be said that the entire protest movement opposes the continuation of the war<\/a> on the basis that it is Netanyahu\u2019s war. This is definitely new; there\u2019s never been such a rupture, where the legitimacy of the regime is in danger.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 1973, they said Golda [Meir] was incompetent, that she made mistakes, but no one doubted her loyalty,\u201d Berda continued. \u201cDuring the First Lebanon War, there were doubts about the loyalty of [Ariel] Sharon and [Menachem] Begin, but that was on the margins. Now, especially in light of the \u201cQatargate\u201d affair<\/a>, people are convinced that Netanyahu is willing to destroy the state for his personal gain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, the wave of refusal and non-attendance has not yet brought the army to its knees. \u201cPeople are saying: \u2018There\u2019s the government, and there\u2019s the state,\u2019\u201d Berda explained. \u201cThese people still go to serve because they cling to the state and its security institutions \u2014 because if they don\u2019t believe in them, they\u2019ll have nothing left.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe public understands that the moment trust in the army breaks, the story\u2019s over \u2014 and that\u2019s frightening,\u201d she went on. \u201cThey\u2019re afraid of being involved in bringing down the army because that would make them complicit. Bibi is forcing Israelis into [what they see as] a terrible choice. No matter what you do, you\u2019ll be complicit in a crime: either the crime of genocide or the crime of dismantling the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

_________________________________________________<\/p>\n

Meron Rapoport is an editor at<\/em> Local Call.<\/p>\n

A version of this article was first published in Hebrew on <\/i>Local Call. Read it <\/i>here<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

Go to Original – 972mag.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

11 Apr 2025\u00a0– Over 100,000 Israelis have reportedly stopped showing up for reserve duty. While their reasons differ, the scale demonstrates the country’s atrocities illegitimacy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":293225,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[2134,1854,87,865,3264,88,427,965,481,1025],"class_list":["post-293224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-palestine-israel-gaza-genocide","tag-conscientious-objector","tag-crimes-against-humanity","tag-gaza","tag-genocide","tag-idf","tag-israel","tag-palestine","tag-war-crimes","tag-warfare","tag-west-bank"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=293224"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293224\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":293228,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293224\/revisions\/293228"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/293225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=293224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=293224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=293224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}