IOF likely to exceptionally allow soldiers to join pro-reform protests

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli Media
26 Apr 2023 22:15

Israeli media reports that the Israeli occupation forces establishment is likely to allow its members to join pro-Netanyahu protests to counter reservists who joined anti-reform protests.

Israeli Occupation Forces disperse demonstrators during anti-reform protests in Al-Quds, Saturday, April 15, 2023. (AP)

The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) allowed its members to participate in the upcoming Million-Strong Demonstration, in support of judicial amendments, set for Thursday.

The demonstrations would be considered the first broad step to show support for the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who sought to pass the reforms, a process that has been hindered by large-scale opposition protests over the past four months.

According to the Israeli Channel 7 website, IOF commanders reported that the participation of the IOF members "is permitted for soldiers up to the rank of lieutenant colonel, provided that no military suit is worn and no violent incidents are involved."

It was also reported that the protest organizers, following the IOF announcement, expect thousands of soldiers to participate in the demonstration.

Israeli media highlighted, that through this resolution, PM Netanyahu sought to demonstrate the popularity of his political choices within the security and military institutions of the occupation government.

The engagement of IOF in pro-reform protests will serve as a counter-measure, which only comes to show the deep divisions within "Israel", against the pressure campaign Netanyahu was subjugated to for the past months, by the Israeli reserve forces serving in significant units and sensitive locations.

According to IOF rules and regulations, typically, soldiers are prohibited from participating in protests, political activity, public activity, and media activity.

However, it appears the IOF has made an exception in order to show IOF support for reforms revealing, both: the division across the occupation's various military and security establishments as well as uncloak the true identity of "Israel" as a large-scale military base wherein the members of the military and security establishments can tip scales in what is supposedly public policy.

'Israel's' enemies celebrating internal conflict: Officials

Israeli deterrence has been somewhat damaged, the former head of the Israeli occupation forces Military Intelligence Directorate (Aman), Amos Yadlin, said on Sunday, April 24, 2023.

The head of the Hamas movement in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, and the deputy chief of the Resistance movement's politburo, Saleh Al-Arouri, "are, in fact, the engines that drove the operations we saw over the past year in the West Bank and Al-Quds, as well as the firing of rockets from Lebanon and Gaza," the former Israeli security official claimed.

"If you hit the engines, the car will stop," Yadlin said. "Israeli deterrence has somewhat been damaged, and our enemies interpreted as fear the Israeli army's moderate response to the rockets that were fired from Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza."

The Israeli occupation's military Intelligence Directorate's Research Division warned that over the past several months, "Israel" has seen its overall strategic situation worsen, Israel Hayom exclusively reported earlier in the month.

According to the newspaper, the warning was sent in a recent memo to the top brass and the key decision-makers in the Israeli occupation, including Netanyahu and Security Minister Yoav Gallant