Omri Ronen, an officer in an elite IDF unit who has served more than 300 days of reserve duty since the start of the war, announced in a Friday evening interview on Channel 12 News that he has decided to enter politics. Ronen is among the leaders of the “Brothers in Arms" movement and was a prominent voice opposing the judicial reform prior to the war.
Ronen’s grandmother, Nira, was murdered on October 7 in Kfar Aza. In the interview, Ronen said, “I’m taking the next step - I’m entering politics. Over the past three years, every time the country was in crisis, I stepped forward. That was during the judicial coup, and again on October 7, when only a few of us jumped in and arrived."
Regarding his political affiliation, Ronen has not yet announced which party he plans to join, but emphasized that he will not operate within the current coalition. “Anyone connected to the government of October 7 - anyone who held a position - must go home and wait for a call from a state commission of inquiry."
Ronen added that he intends “to safeguard Israeli democracy and ensure that the State of Israel remains strong, prosperous, and liberal." He further said that he feels a personal obligation to continue the vision of the country’s founders - including members of his own family - who, as he put it, built the country from nothing.