Reservists Sue IDF Over Automatic Halt of Service for PTSD Sufferers
Translated & summarized from Ynet by baba
A group of 117 Israeli reservists suffering from PTSD have petitioned the High Court of Justice to halt the IDF's policy of automatically freezing their service based on disability percentages. They argue the policy is discriminatory, targets those seeking treatment, and lacks legal basis. The petition seeks to stop the transfer of medical information, cancel the freeze, reinstate affected soldiers, and establish a fair future mechanism. One petitioner, Major Amit Maoz, stated the policy unfairly targets those seeking help and questions its effectiveness.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- 117 reservists with PTSD petitioned Israel's High Court against the IDF's automatic service freeze policy.
- The policy freezes service based on emotional disability percentages, not individual fitness assessments.
- Petitioners claim the IDF's data transfer from the Ministry of Defense lacks legal basis.
- They argue the policy creates a negative incentive for seeking treatment and recognition.
- The reservists demand the cancellation of the freeze, reinstatement, and a fair future mechanism.
- Major Amit Maoz stated the policy unfairly targets those seeking help and is unique to the IDF.
A petition has been filed with Israel's High Court of Justice by 117 reserve soldiers and commanders suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to their military service. They are demanding the cancellation of the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) policy of automatically freezing the service of reservists diagnosed with PTSD, which is based on their disability percentages. The petitioners argue that this policy unfairly targets individuals who are aware of their condition and are actively seeking treatment.
The petition, filed by lawyers Shlomi Tzipori, Ran Cohen Rochberger, and Harel Weinberg, is directed against the head of the Manpower Directorate, the Chief Medical Officer, the IDF, the Minister of Defense, and the acting head of the Ministry of Defense's Disabled Rehabilitation Division. The legal challenge arises after it was revealed that the IDF began re-examining reservists with over 30% emotional disability. This review followed the transfer of medical information from the Ministry of Defense's Rehabilitation Division to the IDF without the soldiers' consent.
While the IDF has maintained that the process is legal, citing the need for "treatment continuity," the reservists claim the data transfer lacked legal basis and violated regulations. They assert that the policy is discriminatory, relying on stereotypes rather than individual assessments of fitness for duty. The petition highlights that the policy creates an automatic presumption of unsuitability based solely on a disability percentage, rather than a concrete medical evaluation for specific roles.
Furthermore, the petitioners argue that the policy creates a negative incentive for seeking treatment, as soldiers fear losing their reserve status if their PTSD is officially recognized. They provided examples of soldiers who halted their recognition process due to this fear. The petition requests the cessation of medical information transfers, the immediate cancellation of the blanket service freeze policy, the reinstatement of affected reservists, and the establishment of a fair future mechanism, along with an urgent interim order to halt the policy's implementation.
Major (res.) Amit Maoz, one of the petitioners who is currently serving in Gaza, stated that the policy unfairly targets those who are already seeking help. He questioned the rationale behind freezing the service of thousands of injured soldiers for the sake of a small percentage, emphasizing that the IDF has acknowledged that most reservists are expected to return to regular service. Maoz also pointed out that the policy is unique to the IDF and not applied to other security agencies.
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