In a letter sent on Tuesday, Lieutenant Colonel A., an active pilot with a sensitive role in the Air Force reserves, informed his commander that he was hereby ending his volunteer reserve service. This was “a personal decision,” he stated, and “not a call for refusal of any kind.” Simply, he explained, the authority to order the use of Israel’s military power “is now in the hands of a group that is acting to demolish the foundations of democracy” and thus “it appears that the contract has been broken and we are marching into the abyss.”
The “contract” to which Lt. Col. A was referring is that between the State of Israel and its troops — an understanding, a kind of covenant, according to which Israel imposes mandatory military service on its young men and women, and subsequently requires many of them to continue to serve for years in the active reserves that are central to the IDF. In some cases it encourages even more voluntary reserve service, notably in the air force, for those with particularly sensitive and expert roles. And in return, Israel’s military recruits reasonably expect that the burden of service be imposed equitably, and that the military actions they are asked to perform be legal and moral, and carried out on behalf of a democratic nation.
In a speech to reserve troops later Tuesday marking 50 years since the Yom Kippur War, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant decried mounting calls and threats by military reservists to stop reporting for service because of their opposition to the Netanyahu coalition’s resumed judiciary overhaul effort. Such threats undermine “the unity of the ranks, are dangerous, and are a reward for our enemy,” said Gallant, and then pleaded: “I call on public figures from the right and the left, leave politics out of the army.”
Gallant’s appeal was doubtless heartfelt, but it misses its mark. Politics cannot be kept out of the military. The political parameters within which Israel operates are the basis for the IDF: Israel has a “people’s army,” a fighting force based on the readiness of the people to risk their lives in its ranks protecting the country. If, as is the case today, a growing swath of the public fears that the government is abusing or is ready to abuse that readiness, or is likely to abuse the power wielded by our military, then the contract referred to by Lt. Col. A. comes into question.
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It is no coincidence that military veterans — notably in the shape of the Brothers and Sisters in Arms movement — are at the vanguard of the protests against the Netanyahu government’s bid to obtain almost unlimited power by shackling the judiciary.
Netanyahu’s appointment of the violent provocateur Itamar Ben Gvir to a position of authority over part of the armed forces, in his expanded post of national security minister, prompted open concern from the outgoing IDF chief Aviv Kohavi, who made plain that he would not allow the deployment of Border Police forces under Ben Gvir’s control in the West Bank.
The prime minister’s choice of the anti-Arab, homophobic, former Jewish terror suspect Bezalel Smotrich as both finance minister and a second minister in the Defense Ministry prompted similar dismay, much exacerbated when Smotrich called to “wipe out” the Palestinian village of Huwara in the wake of deadly attacks by Palestinian terrorists from the area. (Smotrich later apologized.)
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich at his side, and other coalition members including Yoav Gallant and Itamar Ben Gvir, celebrate the passage of the state budget in the Knesset, May 23, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
These two ministers (the first of whom was considered too dangerous to conscript in his youth, and the second of whom repeatedly pushed off and thus shortened his military service) are at the forefront of the group referred to by Lt. Col. A. as holding “the authority to order the use of military force” while “acting to demolish the foundations of democracy.”
At a meeting with the Air Force’s commander Tomer Bar on Monday, representatives of a group of several hundred reserve pilots were reportedly more succinct and direct. Warning Bar of potential mass refusals to volunteer for service, they are said to have told him: “We swore to serve the kingdom, not the king.”
Illustrative: Three pilots stand in front of an F-16 fighter jet as it takes off from the Israeli Air Force’s 117th Squadron. (Israel Defense Forces)
The neutering of the High Court’s capabilities, and the shattering of its independence, as sought in the Netanyahu coalition’s overhaul legislation, would personally impact these and all other members of the Israeli armed forces — from rank and file to highest echelons, and their political overseers — since Israel’s internationally respected judiciary has protected the IDF from the attentions of hostile international tribunals alleging and seeking to prosecute Israeli war crimes.
But such personal concerns are not high on the agenda of the reserve, volunteer and former military men and women on the front lines of the anti-overhaul effort. Rather, it is their fear that they and their comrades will be risking their lives, and potentially taking others’ lives, in defensive and offensive operations against Israel’s enemies on behalf of an Israel that is no longer dependably committed to the moral and equitable vision set out in the Declaration of Independence.
Brothers in Arms member Udi Ori, a former combat helicopter pilot and a colonel in the Air Force reserves, at the hospital on July 7, 2023, after suffering an eye injury when taking a direct hit from a water cannon during a protest against the judicial overhaul in Tel Aviv on July 5, 2023. (Courtesy)
Equality of service has long been defunct, with most ultra-Orthodox and Arab youngsters exempted from military or national service; once the justices are rendered impotent, the Netanyahu government avowedly intends to entrench and expand that inequality by law. Morality of service, they understandably worry, is also under threat given the positions of Ben Gvir and Smotrich, and other coalition members’ tolerance, indulgence and in many cases support for those positions. The contempt the protesters have encountered, as evinced in the statements of ministers within Netanyahu’s own Likud party such as David Amsalem and Shlomo Karhi, only exacerbates their concerns.
You cannot ‘require’ cohesion in the ranks
Nobody recognizes better than Gallant the toxic impact on the military of the national rift over the overhaul. And nobody has a greater responsibility to try to heal that rift. (Nobody apart from the prime minister, that is…)
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Gallant put his job on the line in March by publicly warning that the divide had penetrated deep into the armed forces he oversees and that it posed “a clear, immediate, and tangible threat to the security of the state.” Significant national changes “are achieved through dialogue,” he noted then, urging a halt to the legislative blitz and “a unifying national process [toward judicial reform] with broad participation, a process that will strengthen the State of Israel and preserve the strength of the IDF.”
Netanyahu responded to that speech by firing Gallant — a move that prompted intensified national protests, cold feet in some coalition ranks, and the temporary suspension of the legislation. Now, three and a half months later, we are back where we were then, with the overhaul bills revived and the military rift as acute as ever, but with a reinstated Gallant, thus far, disinclined to again raise the alarm.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, left, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center and IDF chief Herzi Halevi meeting in Tel Aviv on May 2, 2023. (Haim Zach/GPO)
The current chief of staff Herzi Halevi, for his part, asserted Sunday that reservists “don’t have the right” to refuse to show up for duty. “These days require us to focus on the security mission and the cohesion that supports it, so we can be ready for any challenge and in any arena,” Halevi declared in a speech.
But he, too, knowingly misses the mark.
You can’t, Lt. Gen. Halevi, simply require “cohesion” in the ranks. And you can’t, Mr. Gallant, leave politics — not the big, broad brushstrokes of Israel’s fundamental political framework and orientation — out of a people’s army.
The defense minister knew this in March when he spoke out in a brave, essential and briefly successful effort to encourage dialogue and consensus. And he knows it today, when dialogue and consensus over Israel’s governance, ethos and direction are again the imperative of the hour.
HALIFAX – Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says it’s “disgraceful and demeaning” that a Halifax-area school would request that service members not wear military uniforms to its Remembrance Day ceremony.
Houston’s comments were part of a chorus of criticism levelled at the school — Sackville Heights Elementary — whose administration decided to back away from the plan after the outcry.
A November newsletter from the school in Middle Sackville, N.S., invited Armed Forces members to attend its ceremony but asked that all attendees arrive in civilian attire to “maintain a welcoming environment for all.”
Houston, who is currently running for re-election, accused the school’s leaders of “disgracing themselves while demeaning the people who protect our country” in a post on the social media platform X Thursday night.
“If the people behind this decision had a shred of the courage that our veterans have, this cowardly and insulting idea would have been rejected immediately,” Houston’s post read. There were also several calls for resignations within the school’s administration attached to Houston’s post.
In an email to families Thursday night, the school’s principal, Rachael Webster, apologized and welcomed military family members to attend “in the attire that makes them most comfortable.”
“I recognize this request has caused harm and I am deeply sorry,” Webster’s email read, adding later that the school has the “utmost respect for what the uniform represents.”
Webster said the initial request was out of concern for some students who come from countries experiencing conflict and who she said expressed discomfort with images of war, including military uniforms.
Her email said any students who have concerns about seeing Armed Forces members in uniform can be accommodated in a way that makes them feel safe, but she provided no further details in the message.
Webster did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At a news conference Friday, Houston said he’s glad the initial request was reversed but said he is still concerned.
“I can’t actually fathom how a decision like that was made,” Houston told reporters Friday, adding that he grew up moving between military bases around the country while his father was in the Armed Forces.
“My story of growing up in a military family is not unique in our province. The tradition of service is something so many of us share,” he said.
“Saying ‘lest we forget’ is a solemn promise to the fallen. It’s our commitment to those that continue to serve and our commitment that we will pass on our respects to the next generation.”
Liberal Leader Zach Churchill also said he’s happy with the school’s decision to allow uniformed Armed Forces members to attend the ceremony, but he said he didn’t think it was fair to question the intentions of those behind the original decision.
“We need to have them (uniforms) on display at Remembrance Day,” he said. “Not only are we celebrating (veterans) … we’re also commemorating our dead who gave the greatest sacrifice for our country and for the freedoms we have.”
NDP Leader Claudia Chender said that while Remembrance Day is an important occasion to honour veterans and current service members’ sacrifices, she said she hopes Houston wasn’t taking advantage of the decision to “play politics with this solemn occasion for his own political gain.”
“I hope Tim Houston reached out to the principal of the school before making a public statement,” she said in a statement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
REGINA – Saskatchewan Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck says she wants to prove to residents her party is the government in waiting as she heads into the incoming legislative session.
Beck held her first caucus meeting with 27 members, nearly double than what she had before the Oct. 28 election but short of the 31 required to form a majority in the 61-seat legislature.
She says her priorities will be health care and cost-of-living issues.
Beck says people need affordability help right now and will press Premier Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party government to cut the gas tax and the provincial sales tax on children’s clothing and some grocery items.
Beck’s NDP is Saskatchewan’s largest Opposition in nearly two decades after sweeping Regina and winning all but one seat in Saskatoon.
The Saskatchewan Party won 34 seats, retaining its hold on all of the rural ridings and smaller cities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
HALIFAX – Nova Scotia‘s growing population was the subject of debate on Day 12 of the provincial election campaign, with Liberal Leader Zach Churchill arguing immigration levels must be reduced until the province can provide enough housing and health-care services.
Churchill said Thursday a plan by the incumbent Progressive Conservatives to double the province’s population to two million people by the year 2060 is unrealistic and unsustainable.
“That’s a big leap and it’s making life harder for people who live here, (including ) young people looking for a place to live and seniors looking to downsize,” he told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.
Anticipating that his call for less immigration might provoke protests from the immigrant community, Churchill was careful to note that he is among the third generation of a family that moved to Nova Scotia from Lebanon.
“I know the value of immigration, the importance of it to our province. We have been built on the backs of an immigrant population. But we just need to do it in a responsible way.”
The Liberal leader said Tim Houston’s Tories, who are seeking a second term in office, have made a mistake by exceeding immigration targets set by the province’s Department of Labour and Immigration. Churchill said a Liberal government would abide by the department’s targets.
In the most recent fiscal year, the government welcomed almost 12,000 immigrants through its nominee program, exceeding the department’s limit by more than 4,000, he said. The numbers aren’t huge, but the increase won’t help ease the province’s shortages in housing and doctors, and the increased strain on its infrastructure, including roads, schools and cellphone networks, Churchill said.
“(The Immigration Department) has done the hard work on this,” he said. “They know where the labour gaps are, and they know what growth is sustainable.”
In response, Houston said his commitment to double the population was a “stretch goal.” And he said the province had long struggled with a declining population before that trend was recently reversed.
“The only immigration that can come into this province at this time is if they are a skilled trade worker or a health-care worker,” Houston said. “The population has grown by two per cent a year, actually quite similar growth to what we experienced under the Liberal government before us.”
Still, Houston said he’s heard Nova Scotians’ concerns about population growth, and he then pivoted to criticize Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for trying to send 6,000 asylum seekers to Nova Scotia, an assertion the federal government has denied.
Churchill said Houston’s claim about asylum seekers was shameful.
“It’s smoke and mirrors,” the Liberal leader said. “He is overshooting his own department’s numbers for sustainable population growth and yet he is trying to blame this on asylum seekers … who aren’t even here.”
In September, federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller said there is no plan to send any asylum seekers to the province without compensation or the consent of the premier. He said the 6,000 number was an “aspirational” figure based on models that reflect each province’s population.
In Halifax, NDP Leader Claudia Chender said it’s clear Nova Scotia needs more doctors, nurses and skilled trades people.
“Immigration has been and always will be a part of the Nova Scotia story, but we need to build as we grow,” Chender said. “This is why we have been pushing the Houston government to build more affordable housing.”
Chender was in a Halifax cafe on Thursday when she promised her party would remove the province’s portion of the harmonized sales tax from all grocery, cellphone and internet bills if elected to govern on Nov. 26. The tax would also be removed from the sale and installation of heat pumps.
“Our focus is on helping people to afford their lives,” Chender told reporters. “We know there are certain things that you can’t live without: food, internet and a phone …. So we know this will have the single biggest impact.”
The party estimates the measure would save the average Nova Scotia family about $1,300 a year.
“That’s a lot more than a one or two per cent HST cut,” Chender said, referring to the Progressive Conservative pledge to reduce the tax by one percentage point and the Liberal promise to trim it by two percentage points.
Elsewhere on the campaign trail, Houston announced that a Progressive Conservative government would make parking free at all Nova Scotia hospitals and health-care centres. The promise was also made by the Liberals in their election platform released Monday.
“Free parking may not seem like a big deal to some, but … the parking, especially for people working at the facilities, can add up to hundreds of dollars,” the premier told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
