Israeli Media: Air Force commander to expel evader pilots
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Israeli media hint that Barr's determination to expel the unruly pilots reflects a firmer policy in dealing with the trend of conscription evasion by reservists protesting Netanyahu’s judicial amendment.
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"Baz" F-15 Israeli fighter jet flies above occupied Palestine, October 19, 2021 (IOF archives)
It was reported today by Israeli media that the commander of the occupation air force, Tomer Barr, intends to expel conscription-evading reserve pilots that decide to refuse training or service in protest of the judicial amendments.
The Times of Israel said that Barr's determination to expel the unruly pilots reflects a firmer policy in dealing with the trend of conscription evasion by reservists protesting Netanyahu’s judicial amendment.
Channel 12 was also quoted reporting “The commander of the Air Force Barr recently spoke to senior Air Force commanders to inform them of this new policy, specifying that any new future attempts by reserve pilots to refrain from coming to service will be met with penalties and possible dismissal from military operational activity.
Yesterday, Haaretz reported quoting Barr "It will not be possible to participate in operational activities if the pilots miss training. Reserve pilots train frequently, and missing multiple sessions may affect efficiency".
It is notable to mention that, soldiers and reserve officers are of central significance to the potential and effectiveness of the occupation army during emergencies, such that they are deployed when carrying out large-scale military operations.
Read more: Hundreds of Israeli reservists declare evasion starting Sunday
The trend of conscription evasion in protest of the judicial overhaul has been on the rise lately. Back in March, hundreds of reservists from the Israeli Special Operations Service, an offensive cyber system of the AMN (the Military Intelligence Division), Mossad, and Shin Bet announced that they would not continue their voluntary service in the occupation army.
On March 6th, 37 reservist pilots - out of a total of 40 - of the Air Force's 69th Squadron reportedly refused to show up for training sessions scheduled this week, in protest of the new judicial plan.
Israeli media reported that also that in the early days of the protest movement against the judicial overhaul, 130 officers and reservists from the "Yahalom" engineering unit for special missions signed a letter informing Gallant that they "find it difficult to serve if the judicial reforms were approved."
Read more: High ranking Israeli air force officers to evade draft in protest
In late March, Israeli media revealed that more than 100 reserve officers at the air force operations headquarters in the occupation army announced today they will be evading their military service.
Read more: Israeli divide causes 'incalculable damage', tears IOF apart
Recently, Amos Harel, one of the most prominent Israeli journalists and the military correspondent and defense analyst for Haaretz, has written an article about the rift among Israelis and how it threatens the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF). Harel argued that the "controversy" of the judicial overhaul could cause "incalculable damage" in the IOF.
Moreover, he stated that the sequence of events has been "encouraging sectarian hatred," which ended up dividing reservists, who have been at the forefront of the most recent violent protests in "Israel", into “us” and “them” which, Harel explained, categorized IOF pilots as "a privileged group of disloyal elitists."
