Netanyahu: Israelis refusing to serve in IDF reserves are 'undemocratic'

Incitement for military reservists to refuse to serve in protest against the judicial reforms, and the refusal itself, is “contrary to democracy and the law,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday.

“Incitement to refusals is contrary to democracy,” he said in remarks to the media ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting. “It cannot be that a small group threatens to do away with Israel’s security.

“I hear the voices in the public. I am attentive to them,” Netanyahu said, adding that everyone was worried about the future of the country, wanted to keep Israel Jewish and democratic, and knew that “we have no other country.” However, the two sides “differ on how to do this, and for this exactly we went to the polls.

“For all those who wave the flag of democracy, I want to say a few words about democracy,” he said. “In a democracy, the military is subjugated to the elected government, and not the opposite, while in military rule, the government is subjugated to the military or, to be precise, to a group within the army. This is the basic difference between democracy and military rule.”

“This is true in every democracy, but in our democracy, the incitement to refusals directly endangers the security of all of the citizens of Israel,” he added. “They eat away at the deterrence of our enemies, who easily can be tempted to act of aggression against us, and they destabilize discipline within the army, which is the basis of the army’s existence in the first place.”

There cannot be a situation during which a “group within the army” decides to do away with Israel’s security, Netanyahu said, likening this to a theoretical group of officials at the Israel Electric Corporation and Mekorot national water company deciding to turn off the electricity or water supply due to political differences.

National Unity chairman Benny Gantz on Monday also called for reservists not to cease their service.

“I wish to turn to my brothers, fighters: I understand your pain,” he said. “Your heart is in the right place, and your bravery on the field of battle, the values of the IDF, and love of the homeland are your guiding principles. I call on you, despite the immense difficulty and fear: Continue your service and struggle for this country, and continue to fight for it also against our enemies. Continue to stand guard – in the streets, in the cockpit, in Jenin, and on Kaplan [Street in Tel Aviv].”

In response to Gantz’s comments, the Likud Party issued a statement, thanking him, along with his National Unity colleague Gadi Eisenkot, also a former IDF chief of staff, and former IDF chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi for “speaking out against the refusal to serve, which threatens the safety of all the citizens of Israel.”

The prime minister's other remarks

Netanyahu on Monday wished the victims of Sunday’s terrorist attack near Tekoa junction in Gush Etzion a speedy recovery.

“I wish a complete and speedy recovery to the Kapach family, and as we promised, everyone who harms us ends up either in prison or in the grave,” he said.

Netanyahu also commended a proposal by Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu (Otzma Yehudit) to preserve archaeological sites in the West Bank, calling it “an unprecedented plan to fight the destruction of heritage in Judea and Samaria.”

“Anywhere in Judea and Samaria, if you just stick a hoe in, you discover history,” he said.