The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is taking a hit with a sudden wave of resignations.
The head of the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, Brig. Gen. Daniel Hagari, has announced his resignation in spite of the ongoing Israeli war against Hamas and the Palestinians in Gaza. The Spokesperson's Unit is responsible for publishing information regarding the IDF.
Many other senior army officers in the unit have also resigned, including Hagari's former second-in-command, Col. Shlomit Muller-Butbul, civilian spokeswoman Col. Moran Katz and international spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht.
"Things are not going well on both the professional and personal levels," said Katz of her resignation.
According to Channel 14 correspondent Tamir Morag a lot of officers have reportedly complained about not moving up in the ranks.
"The picture is complex since it is a military system and sometimes people reach retirement age and leave for no particular reason, but despite this, the number of people who retire at once during a war is unusual," Morag said.
Hecht, born in Scotland and who focuses on the IDF's foreign media affairs, is a veteran and announced his resignation after being replaced in his duty, which he was reportedly told about harshly.
Other notable resignations include Lt. Col Merav Granot, who the IDF claims reached retirement age, but other reports indicate she was passed over for a promotion and resigned in protest; and Col. Tzupia Moshkovich, who was also rejected for a possible promotion.
Israeli media outlets have noted that this many senior IDF officials tendering their resignations or declaring their retirement all at once during a time of war is unheard of.
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"The picture is complex, since it is a military system and sometimes people reach retirement age and leave for no particular reason, but despite this, the number of people who retire at once during a war is unusual," reported Morag.
Israeli Defense minister called for an end to draft exemptions
The situation with senior IDF officers resigning also comes at a time when tensions have risen over the Israeli military establishment over its relationship with the government. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's extremist party Likud has renewed calls to expand the draft.
Currently, Israeli law mandates that almost every Israeli serve in the IDF when they turn 18. Several exemptions exist. Israeli Druze and Circassian women are exempt from mandatory service and all Arab citizens of Israel are also exempted.
Furthermore, a special exemption is also provided to male Haredi Jews who have declared that Torah study is their profession, allowing them the option to either have their service be postponed by six months or be granted a total exemption so long as they remain enrolled at a Jewish religious school, known as a yeshiva.
All of these exemptions are straining the IDF's pool of soldiers, leading to a serious manpower crisis. Gallant has raised the issue with the current wartime government of Israel, citing his support for legislation to address the problem if more members of the coalition were in favor of it.
"The army is in need of manpower now. It's not a matter of politics, it's a matter of mathematics," Gallant said.
But such a move could cause the coalition that ushered Netanyahu into power to shatter, as two parties in the coalition that represent the interests of Israel's ultra-orthodox community – Shas and United Torah Judaism – are seen as integral to the present government's survival.
Gallant and the IDF must now either choose to maintain the stability of the current government at the expense of the military taking even more losses in its ongoing conflict in Gaza where it is taking critical hits in its attempt to wipe out Palestinian resistance; or they might push for the exemptions for the ultra-orthodox to be modified to help shore up the IDF's depleting manpower. (Related: Netanyahu goes rogue, says IDF will invade Rafah “safe zone” despite presence of one million refugees sheltering there.)
"The situation is simply not good and does not match the threat map," according to a March 1 report of Ynet.
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