Defense Minister Katz Orders Removal of Democratic Party Candidate Omri Ronen from IDF Reserves

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir to remove Omri Ronen, a Democratic Party primary candidate and activist with "Brothers in Arms," from reserve duty. This decision follows Ronen's statement in an interview on the program "Meet the Press," where he declared, "Next time, I will do everything necessary to prevent a regime coup." Katz's office interpreted this as a call to potentially refuse reserve service as part of political activity, describing it as a serious statement encouraging insubordination and harming the IDF's resilience.

In an official letter to the Chief of Staff, Katz emphasized zero tolerance for refusal to serve, stating, "Refusal will not return to the IDF. I will not allow the plague of refusal to re-enter the IDF ranks for any reason." He reiterated his commitment to eradicating refusal since the start of his tenure and demanded equal treatment for all soldiers. Katz ordered Zamir to ensure Ronen's removal from all military frameworks due to his public calls for refusal based on political motives.

The letter further clarified that the Defense Ministry's policy excludes anyone who publicly advocates refusal or expresses opposition to military service in a way that undermines the IDF's values, cohesion, or operational readiness from being called up for reserve duty. Katz instructed the Chief of Staff to apply this policy consistently to all who fail to meet these standards and to handle similar cases in the future with the same approach.