Israeli army reservists being called up for active duty during the
Jewish state’s 10-week-old conflict with Palestinian demonstrators and
gunmen are complaining that they lack adequate equipment, training and
support to perform their missions.
According to the Jerusalem Post, reservists have been activated and
sent to some of the worst trouble spots in the West Bank and Gaza after
being given just one magazine of ammunition, too few steel helmets and
flak jackets, and poor cover and concealment.
In one instance, a reservist complained that he and others were
deployed to the Israeli Defense Force’s Ofer base after firing only 12
shots on an army firing range. Also, he told the newspaper, the Ofer
base is surrounded on three sides by Palestinian-controlled communities
that house militants and gunmen, and comes under gunfire attacks almost
nightly.
Worse, the reservist said his unit had deployed with only a single
armored personnel carrier and that much of the time it was either in the
shop for repairs or being used by the base commander to travel to his
home and back.
Reservists at the base, said 28-year-old Jonathan Amiel, also have
poor cover. Troops have to deploy behind cement blocks on the ground —
positions that expose them — instead of in the usual lightly armored
watchtowers.
The reservists have been at the base for three weeks.
“We arrived at night and they immediately sent us to guard posts
around the base,” Amiel said, noting he and the dozen other reservists
sent to Ofer were “like sitting ducks.”
“There is a total lack of responsibility, and we don’t feel safe on
this base,” he said.
Most reservists at Ofer are not combat troops, but were called up in
the wake of the lynching of two other reservists by a Palestinian mob at
a Ramallah police station in October. Also, Amiel said, they are on a
six-hour-on, six-hour-off, 24-hour-a-day guard schedule.
“We are forced to act like combat soldiers while combat-trained
troops are guarding the malls,” Amiel told the paper, noting that on a
recent night, reservists came under fire just as they were changing the
guard. Most didn’t have flak vests or helmets.
Another reservist, who said he is a veteran of a previous Palestinian
intifada, was more scared this time out.
“They dumped us behind two cement blocks and told us if we see
anything to shoot. It’s a disgrace. I feel under immense danger here,”
said reservist Rami Caldron.
The reserve soldiers said during the current intifada — in which 312
people have been killed — Palestinians have longer-range weapons and
could fire down on soldiers with relative ease.
However, they did say that since a new base commander arrived about a
week ago, conditions have improved somewhat.
The paper said the reservists were each issued flak vests, helmets
and more ammunition. Also, they conducted their first combat drill after
two weeks of being on station at Ofer.
Positions, though, are still exposed to Palestinian fire, and the new
commander has yet to secure an armored vehicle to shuttle troops around
perimeters while on guard duty.
The reservists noted that they didn’t mind answering the call-up to
serve the Jewish state, but only wanted to be adequately equipped and
trained to fulfill the mission they were given.
In response to the complaints, senior Israel Defense Force leaders
were quick to respond.
“From an examination that was carried out by the deputy brigade
commander, it turns out that there were problems with equipment and
protection that was meant for the reservists,” the IDF said in a
statement on Monday.
“These problems were solved recently, and the soldiers in the brigade
were equipped with all of the necessary protective equipment,” said the
statement.
“The armored vehicle assigned to the brigade is at the disposal of
the soldiers for all necessary missions at all times,” the IDF said,
adding that the lone armored car at Ofer is not entirely necessary
because much of the traffic on the surrounding roads has been cut off or
limited by the army.
Meanwhile, IDF forces reportedly thwarted three separate West Bank
attacks by intercepting Palestinian terrorist groups before they were
able to complete their missions.
In the first incident, Israeli army troops shot and killed one
Palestinian man on Sunday, after he and an accomplice opened fire.
Prior to the gun battle, the pair had planted a roadside bomb on a
highway near the approach to the Jewish settlement community of Har
Gilo. The accomplice escaped; Palestinian officials later identified the
dead man as Mohammed Yosef Magrabi, a resident of the Deheishe refugee
camp near Bethlehem. Officials said he was a member of the Tanzim
militia. The bomb was found by Israeli combat engineers in a sweep of
the area after the attack.
Later, a small group of IDF soldiers intercepted a four-man
Palestinian force near Salem, wounding all four. Three of the
Palestinians escaped.
Before dawn, another group of soldiers foiled another bombing attempt
along a roadside leading to the Samarian settlement of Eilon Moreh.
Throughout the day, IDF officials said Palestinians fired on Israeli
military vehicles, but soldiers did not return that fire.
Related stories:
Israel makes goodwill gestures to Palestinians
