IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi published a letter to all soldiers this morning (Sunday) in which he stated that the military has been harmed by being brought into the controversy surrounding the government's planned judicial reforms.
“We have acted to keep the IDF out of the debate, but due to its intensity in Israeli society, we were pulled into it, and our military cohesion has been harmed,” Halevi stated.
"The mission of the IDF has not changed in the past 75 years - to defend the country, to win its battles, to ensure its existence. The IDF was born in a time of crisis, out of the need to ensure the existence of the State of Israel. This role has not changed even today. The strength of the IDF lies in its superior troops, its high readiness for war, and internal and external cohesion," he said.
"I will not address the essence of the dispute in Israeli society - it is legitimate," the Chief of Staff said. "When the dispute spills over into the ranks of the IDF and cracks open in it, a soldier on the ground may make the mistake of thinking that an Air Force pilot will not help him because of that dispute; A pilot in the Air Force may make a mistake and think that they can not prepare and maintain their fitness for battle, when in practice, we may need it soon; These are dangerous cracks."
"Service in the IDF is an obligation that is a great privilege," he said. "If we do not have a strong and cohesive army, if the best do not serve in the IDF - we will no longer be able to exist as a country in this region."
“None of the service members have the right to say that they are not serving anymore, and they have no right to not show up for duty or refuse an order," Halevi said. "We don't have other people to replace them and we don't have another IDF."
"It is not too late to fix. It must be corrected because there is no other way without internal and external cohesion. This is the responsibility of all of us, and first and foremost is my personal responsibility as Chief of Staff. This is the only way we can maintain the mission of the IDF: in protecting the country and ensuring its existence," the Chief of Staff concluded.