Halevi: Netanyahu rejected firing reservists who stopped reporting amid judicial reform - report

Former IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu firmly rejected a proposal to dismiss reservists who stopped reporting for duty during the 2023 judicial reform crisis, N12 reported on Saturday.

Halevi reportedly made the remarks during a meeting held in recent weeks with a small group of bereaved families who asked him to answer questions they said remain unresolved because a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre has yet to be established.

According to N12, after the Knesset approved the law eliminating the reasonableness standard, Halevi met with Netanyahu and warned him that Israel was entering a dangerous situation.

"To minimize the danger, I am asking you to issue a positive statement toward the reservists and ask ministers to stop attacking them," Halevi reportedly told the families.

The prime minister subsequently rejected the request, and Halevi said Netanyahu's public comments about the military and its handling of the reservist crisis differed sharply from the messages he delivered behind closed doors.

"From the podium, the prime minister spoke against me and against the army and our handling of it, but in the room he spoke completely differently," Halevi said.

Halevi said he then decided to test Netanyahu's position directly, asking him, "Do you want me to dismiss all the refusers now?"

Netanyahu felt dismissing refusers would 'bring a bigger wave'

According to the former chief of staff, Netanyahu responded emphatically: "Absolutely not! It will bring a bigger wave; don't do it."

Halevi said Netanyahu continued to criticize the military publicly after the conversation and argued that the IDF was not doing enough.

The dispute over reservist participation became one of the most serious security concerns surrounding the 2023 judicial reform. Reservists in several units said they would stop volunteering for service in protest of the government's legislation, while Halevi warned Netanyahu at the time about the possible consequences for military readiness.

The issue has also become a central political question ahead of Israel's October 27 election. Opposition leaders have pledged that establishing a state commission of inquiry would be among their first actions if they form the next government.

The Prime Minister's Office and Halevi's representatives declined to comment on N12’s report.