Ministers polled mid-Sukkos on reserve call-up extension

In the middle of Chol Hamoed Sukkos, and against the backdrop of heightened security tensions in recent days, cabinet ministers were asked this morning (Wednesday) to urgently approve two security decisions brought by Defense Minister Israel Katz via a dedicated WhatsApp group.

In a letter distributed by Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs to government ministers under the heading "Urgent!", the message stated that two decision proposals were attached and that ministers were asked to approve them "as soon as possible via the dedicated WhatsApp group."

The letter distributed to ministers (Photo: Srugim)

The main decision seeks to extend the framework allowing issuing Order 8 reserve call-ups by two additional months, until November 30. According to the proposal, up to 200,000 reserve call-ups could be issued during this period. This represents a reduction from the current framework, which allowed up to 240,000 call-ups and expires today. This does not mean 200,000 soldiers will be serving simultaneously; it means that 200,000 is the maximum number of call-ups that can be issued under the order.

The urgent poll comes as the security establishment has registered heightened alert. This morning, Israeli news reported that IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir decided to cancel his planned visit to the United States, which was scheduled to take place in about a week and a half, due to the security situation and increased readiness. According to the report, a senior IDF official explained: "You can't put the army on alert and fly abroad."

Netanyahu's warning (Photo: Roi Avraham/GPO; Sound: Yechezkel Kandil/GPO)

Just last night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with opposition leader Yair Lapid for an unusual security briefing, after Netanyahu warned that there are signs that Israel's enemies may try to attack Israel ahead of the elections. The Prime Minister's Office said after the meeting that the briefing presented to Lapid "warnings about possible attacks on various fronts ahead of the elections."

However, the poll documents sent to ministers do not state that the extension of Order 8 stems from the new warning or from events of the past day. The proposal was already prepared on September 29, and the current framework expires today in any case. In the explanatory notes, the defense establishment justifies the extension by "the continuation of various threats," IDF activity in different sectors, and the ongoing operational need.

Behind the decision also stands a significant economic cost. Government documents state that the cost of reserve duty days under Order 8 between January and August this year stood at 26.7 billion shekels, and that if the scope of service in the coming two months is similar to the average since the beginning of the year, the cost of the extension is expected to reach approximately 6.6 billion additional shekels.

At the same time, ministers are also being asked to approve an extension of the declaration allowing the activation of special provisions regarding detention of unlawful combatants. This proposal was also submitted for approval as part of the same urgent request.