PM vows to do more for army reservists 'those who do more should get more'
Netanyahu said the reservists were the wellspring of innovation within the army.
By TOBIAS SIEGALIDF reserve soldiers 521(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at the Knesset on Tuesday on the importance of the IDF reserve duty and promised to improve their conditions."During the Yom Kippur War we witnessed a failure on the political level. The ones who ended up tipping the balance of the war were the reservists ... Three weeks later our forces were positioned on the outskirts of Cairo and Damascus. That's an unprecedented achievement in the history of war," Netanyahu said."The importance of our reservists is also evident in the long run, because we don't have the possibility of maintaining such a large permanent military," he added. "The military burden requires us to divide it among ourselves, and we do. But not equally so."Netanyahu continued by stating that "those who give more should receive more" and said that he intends on finding ways of rewarding those who sacrifice more than most."I plan to appoint a ministerial committee in the following days for finding ways of providing better service and support to our reservists. It's time. It will empower our forces," Netanyahu said. Netanyahu also addressed the contribution of the reserve duty model to innovation within the military."We live in a changing world, in a world of knowledge. When speaking to ministers from the UAE, I said that the future belongs to nations that cherish innovation. But the same is true for our military and defense establishment, Netanyahu said, adding that "this innovation is scattered across our society. When we use our reservists we're adding new minds and hearts for a joint collaborative effort focused on our defense."Netanyahu concluded his speech by thanking all reservists on behalf of the Israeli nation for their important contribution over the years. "You've saved the country before, and you're assuring its future today," Netanyahu concluded.
