Dissent growing in Israeli army as hundreds back air force reservists facing dismissal
Dissent within the Israeli military is seemingly growing, with more than a thousand special forces reservists now signing a letter in support of air force reservists set to be dismissed from active duty after calling for an end to Israel’s war on Gaza.
The letter’s authors said 1,552 current and former special forces members have signed so far, with about 16 percent of them active reservists, the Haaretz newspaper reports.
The signatories signalled their intention to keep serving but stated they are “determined to exercise their civil rights and to warn against the continuation of the long fighting that endangers the lives of the hostages, the lives of soldiers and civilians, and that also seems to be continuing for political reasons”.
Separately, about 250 reservists and retirees from Israel’s elite Unit 8200 have penned their own letter stating that the war on Gaza “is currently mainly serving political and personal interests and not security interests”.
“The continuation of the war doesn’t contribute to any of the declared objectives, and will lead to the death of hostages, [Israeli] soldiers, and of innocents,” the letter said.
“We join the call of the air crews to all Israeli citizens to take action and demand, everywhere and in any way, the return of the hostages now and the cessation of the fighting,” it added.
Iran and US return to Oman as nuclear deal revival talks begin
The world’s media crowded outside a luxury hotel in the Austrian capital, Vienna, in the summer of 2015 to catch a glimpse of diplomats – negotiating the final and most difficult stages of a complex nuclear agreement.
But the deal that was signed by Iran – and six international powers: the US, China, Russia, UK, France and Germany, together with the European Union, actually had its origins in secret talks more than two years earlier in the Gulf state of Oman.
And, it is to here that US and Iranian negotiators will return – to try to remake a deal – after that first one was torn up by President Trump in 2018.
Trump says the talks will be direct – the two sides meeting face to face. But that was denied by Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi who told Iranian TV: We have no plans to make the talks direct.
It is Mr Araghchi who will represent Iran in Oman. He has huge experience in the nuclear file, was previously his country’s chief negotiator, and attended some of those early secret talks in the Omani capital, Muscat, 12 years ago.
Contrast that with Steve Witkoff – who will lead the US team. A property developer friend of Trump. He was put in charge of the Gaza ceasefire negotiations, then asked to deal with Ukraine and Russia. And has now had the complex issue of Iran’s nuclear programme added to his plate.
Observers caution not to expect too much from this first meeting in Oman. The important thing is that the talks don’t completely collapse, and that a process can be started.
