Without prior notice: the government approved advancing the legislation to extend the reserve service

The government approved today (Sunday) the memorandum of law proposed by the Ministry of Defense to extend the raising of the exemption age for reservists until the end of 2024. Defense Minister Yoav Galant in meetings in the United States in efforts to restore military aid. The proposal did not appear on the agenda for the cabinet meeting that was published over the weekend.

According to the decision, which is another extension of the temporary order for three months, a reservist who is not an officer will serve until the age of 41 instead of 40, officers will serve until the age of 46 instead of 45 and fighters in special units will serve until the age of 50 instead of 49. The government authorized the IDF to recruit up to 6,700 according to its needs Additional reserve servants, the size of ten infantry battalions in reserve.

The decision requires the approval of the Knesset, and the vote on it is expected to take place in the plenary as early as this week. The law was already approved in December 2023, but since it is a temporary order, it requires re-approval every three months, and next September it is expected to go through another extension procedure until the end of 2024.

The opposition reacted strongly to the approval of the extension without it being on the agenda. MK Efrat Raiten (Labor) called the passing of the law “a hijacker”, criticized the lack of proper administration and wrote “We are burdening the subjects with a burden, which is collapsing anyway, without balancing and mobilizing additional publics”.

Ron Katz (Yesh Atid): “This is how you prevent opposition from within the coalition, prevent a public protest and maintain industrial peace near the prime minister.”

Avigdor Lieberman (Israel Beitenu): “On the one hand, the government exempts tens of thousands of eligible young men from regular service, and on the other hand, extends the service of reservists. From the jump.”

Confrontation between ministers and the IDF

During a security review by the head of the Strategy Division and the Third Circuit Major General Eliezer Toledano, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Settlements Minister Orit Struck and Diaspora Minister Amichai Shikli burst into his words and claimed that the aid was going to Hamas.

According to reports, Smotrich turned to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu: “You have to force it on them. I’ve been telling you this for six months and nothing is happening. You can’t claim that humanitarian aid is critical to international legitimacy and the continuation of the war, and then allow the army to manage it in a way So scandalous.”

Netanyahu responded: “Additional efforts are being made to solve this in other ways that cannot be detailed in this forum,” after noting that there was an attempt to transfer the aid through local clans, but it failed.

Smotrich told General Toledano: “Stop being afraid of a military government, the entire humanitarian issue and division should go to the IDF, otherwise it reaches Hamas and builds it up, contrary to the goals of the war.”

General Toledano replied: “We are not afraid. We are following the instructions of the political level.”