Omri Ronen, a reserve officer and political figure, responded sharply to Defense Minister Israel Katz's order to dismiss him from reserve duty, accusing Katz of 'abandoning fighters and protecting deserters' and of 'promoting the draft-dodging law.' The statement, reported by Dafna Liel (N12), comes after Ronen's interview on 'Meet the Press.'
Omri Ronen, a reserve officer and political figure, responded sharply this evening to Defense Minister Israel Katz's order to dismiss him from reserve duty, telling journalist Dafna Liel (N12) that 'shame has left Israel' and accusing Katz of 'abandoning fighters and protecting deserters' while promoting legislation to freeze arrests of Haredi draft evaders. The statement, Ronen's first direct response since the dismissal was announced, deepens the day's confrontation between the political echelon and a prominent critic of the government's draft policy.
As The Zioneer reported earlier today, Sunday's sequence began at 10:17 Jerusalem when the Defense Minister's office announced that Katz had instructed the IDF Chief of Staff to remove Ronen from all military frameworks, citing Ronen's calls for refusal on political grounds. By the same hour, Katz had declared a 'zero tolerance' policy against refusal, saying 'one law for all.' Within minutes, multiple news outlets — Dafna Liel (N12), Noam Amir (Channel 14), and others — confirmed the instruction, and Katz himself later reiterated that he had ordered the removal. The thread shows corroboration evolving from a single official statement to independent reporting by several journalists within the same hour.
The confrontation is set against a broader political backdrop that The Zioneer has covered: the Knesset's recent approval of a bill to freeze arrests of Haredi draft evaders, which Democrats party chairman Yair Golan condemned as 'one of the greatest moments of disgrace.' Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett similarly criticized the political echelon for what he called an 'unimaginable reality' in Lebanon. Ronen, a Brothers in Arms activist and former candidate for the Democrats party, has been a vocal critic of what he views as unequal burden-sharing.
It remains unclear whether Ronen will be formally discharged from all reserve service or whether the order will be subject to further review. The specific legal basis cited in the dismissal order has not been disclosed by Katz's office.
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
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