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Elite IDF unit launches petition: ‘Keep IDF out of political controversy’

“The nation’s security is above all else,” say Maglan unit’s graduates who have been collecting signatures of former soldiers confirming their desire to continue serving in the reserves.

By World Israel News Staff

An elite army unit is pushing back against reservists who are threatening to refuse to serve in protest of the government’s judicial reform, Arutz-7 reported on Tuesday.

In recent days, according to the report, graduates of the IDF’s elite Maglan reconnaissance unit have been collecting signatures of former soldiers in the unit for a petition confirming their willingness to continue their reserve service along with a demand to leave politics out of the army.

“We, Maglan soldiers of all generations, are proud of the privilege of serving the State of Israel at the forefront of any operation. We declare that we will complete any operational activity or training if and when required. Our love for the homeland and the people of Israel is ten times greater than any political consideration of one kind or another. The nation’s security is above all else,” they wrote in a letter to be presented to Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi, according to Arutz-7.

“We call our fellow men to arms, the beloved soldiers and commanders with whom we have been fighting for years, shoulder to shoulder, from all the army units and the security system: although this is a difficult time, but together as always we will win,” the letter reads.

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‘Integrity of the army’

“We want to reach many hundreds of people. At the end of this petition, like other petitions that came out in the last few days, it talks about the importance of the integrity of the army. What is most important to us is to keep it. We are not fighting anyone, and the struggle is not political,” Col. Amos HaCohen, former deputy commander of Maglan and one of the organizers of the petition, told Arutz-7.

“Our statement is very clear – we leave the army out of the political controversy,” he said, noting that Israel’s enemies would interpret dispute as a weakness.

Another danger, he added, “is the precedent of bringing the dispute into the army. Today it serves one side and tomorrow it will serve another side.”

Furthermore, “Regarding our petition, we know all the signatories, these are not ‘fake’ lists but real lists. And regarding our friends who sign all kinds of letters of refusal, I am sure that on the day of reckoning, 90% of them will show up to fight without questions, I know them and it’s in their soul.”