'Israel' in worst security period in decades, army not ready for war
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The retired Israeli Maj. Gen. says refusal to serve in the army by reservists opposing the judicial reforms "may lead to internal rift, collapse of cohesion, and loss of 'fighting spirit'".
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Israeli occupation infantry soldiers get ready to walk to their armored personnel carriers to take up new positions on the Gaza Strip border, Saturday, July 12, 2014. (AP)
Former reserve Major General Yitzhak Brick confirmed to Israeli Channel 12 on Wednesday that "Israel" today is living in one of the worst security conditions it has seen in decades.
Brick noted that "Israel" is surrounded by almost 200,000 rockets and missiles (mostly precision missiles) and drones, "all of which pose a threat to its existence."
The retired general said that in the event of a possible war, about 3000 rockets and dozens of drones on average would be fired toward "Israel" on a daily basis. The strikes will result in the destruction of over 150 sites within one day of a multi-front war.
In return, he considered that "Israel" will be forced to fight on 5 fronts, the first being against tens of thousands of Hezbollah soldiers that are trained and equipped with artillery and anti-tank missiles, the second against thousands of Hamas fighters on the Gaza front, and the third against "pro-Iranian" groups in Syria, in addition to the eruption of a third Intifada in the West Bank and chaos perpetrated by extremist Israelis within the entity.
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"This war will cause Israel great loss of life and extensive damage to private and public property," the high-ranking retired military official confirmed, stressing that the Israeli military is not prepared for this war, which may break out in the near or distant future.
On the other hand, Brick added that the security establishment is also aware of the problems and said he believes that normally it knows how to address the matter and prepare an army ready to fight the war, but due to the increasing number of Israelis refusing to serve in the reserve army, the institution has become unable to handle the issues.
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"Refusal to serve may lead to internal rift, collapse of cohesion, and loss of 'fighting spirit'," stressing that such refusal is a guaranteed recipe for the disintegration of the Israeli army.
"The refusal of reservists today to enlist in the army may lead to other reservists following in their footsteps in the future for similar or other reasons," Brick explained.
"If the process of disobeying the Reserve Service Law is not stopped, we will lose control and destroy the army, which will cause a complete loss of our ability to protect Israel from its enemies," he stressed.
A few days ago, Israeli media quoted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying that refusing conscription in the "army" cannot be tolerated and that it threatens "Israel's existence", referencing the recent cases of noncompliance.
Brick called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to come out publicly and condemn all inappropriate statements by government ministers and Knesset members toward reservist servicemembers.
"Some ministers and Knesset members in the government are working to add fuel to the fire, and instead of working day and night to create a broad consensus in the Knesset for the necessary changes — they attacked the pilots and other soldiers with blunt words, saying, 'Go to hell, who needs you?'"
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Former Air Force commanders urged in a letter on Monday the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to halt the legislative procedures on the judicial reform and find an immediate solution to the current situation.
Last, some 130 officers and soldiers in the Yahalom special unit of the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) signed a petition to Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant informing him that they would face difficulty serving in the IOF in case the controversial law regarding the judicial reforms passes,
Also due to judicial amendments, an officer in the Israeli air force resigned, and Israeli pilots threatened to stop volunteering in reserve service.
