Former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff and former Meretz MK Yair Golan is claiming that if the government continues with its current policy, parents will refuse to send their children to the army.
In a video published by journalist Ishay Fridman, Golan is heard saying on a podcast, "We have a lot of tools left in our hands. Up until now it has been a soft fight. But non-violent disobedience has three main tools - demonstration, strike and civil disobedience."
"It should be clear to this government," Golan continued, "that the reservists simply will not show up for duty. A country that sends me to risk my life is obligated to me, and if the government reneges on its commitment to its citizens and if it denies me my basic freedoms as a citizen, there is no reason for me to serve this government."
"Therefore," he explained, "until you change your policy, we will not serve you, forget it. There is no such thing as the army being outside the discussion or the debate. The army, and especially the reservists, is part of the debate."
"The inductees are part of the debate. Smotrich, Ben Gvir and Netanyahu should have no doubts: If this direction continues, they will see that the parents will come to the recruiting offices and say, 'We will not give you our children.'"
"We will come to you and say very simply, if the haredim are not prepared to serve this army, we will certainly not serve a policy that deprives us of our civil rights, it will never happen," he concluded.
Golan is known for his inflammatory remarks, and in March called for "more force" to be used in anti-government protests, in order to attain the protest organizers' goals.
"If use of force doesn't work, we'll use more force. We have to strengthen this campaign. We will hold mass protests every single day of the week, hold massive strikes across all sectors, and engage in civil rebellion. The price to pay for this won't be insignificant, but it is imperative that we be determined. This is a fight for the very soul of Israel and we will never give in," he said at the time.
In January, Golan published a tweet in which he called for a wide-scale civil uprising against the government.
Following that tweet, Attorney Nir Kalfa from Sderot filed a police complaint against Golan.
Last year, while he served as Deputy Economy Minister in Israel’s government, Golan described some residents of Judea and Samaria as "sub-human". After his comments caused an uproar, Golan walked back the comments and claimed they were "made in a storm of emotions and out of anger."