Defense Minister Israel Katz said Sunday that he had instructed the IDF Chief of Staff to ensure that Omri Ronen, who called for and preached refusal of service on political grounds, is removed from all military service frameworks. The statement reaffirms Katz's zero-tolerance policy toward refusal to serve.
Defense Minister Israel Katz on Sunday afternoon issued a direct statement confirming his earlier instruction to the IDF Chief of Staff to remove Omri Ronen from all service frameworks, citing Ronen's calls for refusal on political grounds. The statement, presented as a direct quote, reinforces the zero-tolerance policy Katz declared earlier this morning.
The sequence of events began at 10:17 Jerusalem, when The Zioneer first reported that the Defense Minister's office said Katz would ask the IDF to take disciplinary action against Ronen. Within minutes, the desk reported that Katz had instructed the Chief of Staff to remove Ronen from all military service, and then declared a zero-tolerance policy, stating 'one law for all.' Multiple news outlets, including N12 and Channel 14, confirmed the instruction, with corroboration growing from a single channel to several sources.
As The Zioneer reported later in the morning, an intelligence and national security expert called for Ronen's immediate arrest by Shin Bet for incitement. The initial demand for disciplinary action and the subsequent zero-tolerance declaration have been framed by Katz as part of a broader policy against refusal to serve in the IDF.
No timeline has been given for the removal process, and the IDF's operational response to the instruction has not been detailed. Ronen's status as a candidate for the Democrats party and a Brothers in Arms activist continues to generate political controversy.
9 developments
- DevelopingOmri Ronen, Democracy Party figure who threatened reserve refusal, lectures IDF soldiers
- DevelopingIntelligence expert calls for arrest of Omri Ronen for advocating non-reporting to prevent 'legal coup'
- StrongBitton Rosen: Chief of Staff made political decision on Azaria record, against defense minister
- DevelopingHillel Bitton Rosen criticizes Katz, says troops must destroy the enemy, not just remove threats
Source and signal
- Internal intake