Defense Minister Katz Orders IDF to Remove Omri Ronen From Reserve Duty, Says There Is "Zero Tolerance" for Refusal to Serve

Defense Minister ישראל כ"ץ announced today (Sunday) that he had instructed IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir to move forward with removing "The Democrats" candidate Omri Ronen from every framework of reserve service in the IDF.

In a message he published, Katz stressed that he intends to continue a policy of zero tolerance toward the phenomenon of refusal to serve: "Refusal to serve will not return to the IDF," he wrote, adding: "I will not allow the scourge of refusal to serve to return to the ranks of the IDF—for any reason whatsoever." According to the defense minister, "Zero tolerance for refusal to serve. I am determined to eliminate the phenomenon of refusal to serve from the IDF, just as I have acted since the beginning of my term as defense minister. One law applies to everyone."

Later in his statement, he said he had instructed the chief of staff to take steps against Ronen: "I instructed the chief of staff to ensure that Omri Ronen, who called for and advocated refusal to serve for political reasons, is removed from every framework of service in the IDF. This is the policy. This is what will be done in any similar case in the future," he wrote, adding that "the IDF must remain outside political disputes, and serve only Israel’s security."

Katz’s statement came after Ronen, one of the protest movement’s leading figures within the organization "Brothers and Sisters in Arms," was asked in an interview with Channel 12 News whether refusal to perform military service is a legitimate tool in the struggle against what he described as a "government coup."

In response, he said that in his view, Israeli citizens should do "anything" to prevent such a move. The program’s host, Yaron Avraham, replied that although he opposed the judicial reform and had even called it "terrible," he had never considered failing to report for service. Ronen responded: "I thought differently."

Later, Ronen was asked to clarify whether he also meant failing to report for service. He did not walk back his remarks, and when he was asked directly, "Including not reporting?" he replied: "Everything."