During the last few days, the graduates of the IDF's elite Maglan airborne reconnaissance unit have been collecting signatures of the former soldiers in the unit, which confirm the readiness of the graduates for reserve service as needed, with the aim of presenting the signatures to the Chief of Staff Lt. Col. Herzi Halevi.
The organizers of the petition read in their letter to the Chief of Staff: "We, Maglan soldiers of all generations, are proud of the privilege of serving the State of Israel at the forefront of any operation. We declare that we will complete any operational activity or training if and when required. Our love for the homeland and the people of Israel is ten times greater than any political consideration of one kind or another. The nation's security is above all else."
"We call our fellow men to arms, the beloved soldiers and commanders with whom we have been fighting for years, shoulder to shoulder, from all the army units and the security system: although this is a difficult time, but together as always we will win."
The organizers of the petition sign the letter with the following words: "Separation, incitement and hatred are a gift only to our enemies. We call for the management of the dispute out of respect and preservation of 'Israeli unity'. And in the face of difficulty we will stand with confident silence."
"We will keep our lips tight and we will not reveal a secret because we are (only together) the iron fist of the people of Israel," reads a passage taken from the unit anthem.
Col. Amos HaCohen, former deputy commander of Maglan and the organizers of the petition, told Israel National News, "We want to reach many hundreds of people. At the end of this petition, similar to other petitions that came out in the last few days, it talks about the importance of the integrity of the army. What is most important to us is to keep it. We are not fighting anyone and the struggle is not political."
"There has always been one common denominator for everyone, and that is that the army prioritizes the personal opinions of each and every soldier, and each and every commander. Our statement does not come to fight anyone. The worst thing in the public dispute is that one of the parties will win, because then the country will simply lose. Our statement is very clear - we leave the army out of the political controversy."
"The great danger in bringing the army into the dispute and mixing up the military framework is twofold. One is that the enemies around us will interpret this dispute as a weakness and take advantage of it. The second danger is the precedent of bringing the dispute into the army. Today it serves one side and tomorrow it will serve another side."
Hacohen ended by saying: "Regarding our petition, we know all the signatories, these are not 'fake' lists but real lists. And regarding our friends who sign all kinds of letters of refusal, I am sure that on the day of reckoning 90% of them will show up to fight without questions, I know them and that's in their soul."