Reserve Officer Wins Court Battle to Reimburse Travel Costs After Emergency Call-Up Abroad

A reserve lieutenant colonel who was urgently called up under an emergency order while abroad had to resort to a small claims court to secure reimbursement for his travel expenses. The officer, who was in Prague when his original flight was canceled, arranged a complex return route through four countries, Prague, London, Larnaca, and Aqaba, to reach his reserve duty in central Israel. Despite submitting all relevant documents, including the emergency call-up order and flight bookings, the Ministry of Defense initially refused to cover his costs, demanding additional proof of the necessity of his appearance from a senior commander.

The officer based his claim on the Ministry of Defense’s Aid Fund regulations dated July 23, 2025, which guarantee compensation of up to 5,000 shekels for reservists called up under emergency orders who purchase flights to return to Israel. The Ministry argued the court lacked jurisdiction, claiming the case was an administrative dispute over Aid Fund decisions, and also cited a six-day delay between the emergency order and the officer’s arrival as grounds for denial. They further contended that the officer’s original flight was canceled due to security concerns and that his unit’s special work arrangements delayed his assignment until he physically arrived in Israel.

Judge Aviyam Barkai rejected the Ministry’s jurisdictional argument, affirming the court’s authority to hear the contractual claim based on the Aid Fund’s clear commitment. He criticized the Ministry for inventing conditions not stipulated in the regulations and for failing to provide any official procedural manual supporting their denial. The judge also condemned the Ministry’s demand for proof of necessity, noting that the state summoned the officer under an emergency order yet required him to justify compliance. He dismissed the Ministry’s offer to present the case to an exceptions committee as a misleading tactic, especially since the officer’s case was never actually brought before that committee.

Ultimately, the court ruled in favor of the officer, ordering the Ministry of Defense to pay him 6,000 shekels, 5,000 shekels as the maximum compensation under the 2025 regulations plus 1,000 shekels in legal fees. The remaining 659 shekels claimed will be decided by the exceptions committee according to the Aid Fund rules. The ruling underscores the state’s obligation to honor its commitments to reservists and highlights judicial scrutiny of administrative attempts to evade such responsibilities.