Hundreds of Reserve Elite Soldiers Strike in Israel

Hundreds of reserve elite soldiers from the Israel Defense Forces have concluded their voluntary service on Sunday, following through on a threat they issued weeks ago in response to the government's plans to radically reform the judicial system, reports The Times of Israel.

The organizers of the group, which includes 450 officers and soldiers from the military intelligence special operations division and 200 soldiers from the cyber forces, announced on Thursday that they would no longer serve voluntarily, citing plans for a final vote by the government.

This pertains to a vote by the Knesset on a legislation proposal that would seriously limit the courts' or legislators' ability to remove the country’s Prime Minister from office.

“As of today, we are ending our voluntary service in the reserves, and we would be happy to return to the ranks of volunteers when democracy is secured,” said a captain who presented himself as Aleph during an interview with public radio.

Special operations officer Aleph urged other reserve volunteers not to report for duty “until this coup attempt is over.” Unlike the majority of reservists, who are called up officially by orders from the Israel Defense Forces, special operations and cyber forces personnel are more frequently and voluntarily present for duty due to the nature of their positions, often even during non-emergency situations.