According to the laws of war: what is the difference between mobilization in Israel and mandatory conscription in the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Today, May 10, marks exactly one month since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed a decree on the mobilization of the country’s army and police reserves. According to official data, tens of thousands of people were put under arms in the shortest possible time. Independent analysts have already compared this process with the general mobilization in Ukraine. Why so?

There is no single answer to this question yet. On the one hand, there is too much in common between the situation that developed in the West Bank and the Ghaza Strip in April 2023 with the situation in the East and North-East of Ukraine in 2022. In both cases, appropriate mobilization was the logical way out of the crisis. Both Tel Aviv and Kyiv had to unilaterally declare martial law, effectively repealing some of the basic legislation. On the other hand, the April aggression against Israel from the outside is fundamentally different from Russia’s attack on Ukraine more than a year ago. This is where the «mobilization differences» lie.

According to official information, the mobilization activities in Israel were the actual response to the attack on Israeli territory from Damascus, as well as the attack on Israelis and foreign tourists in the nominal capital of the State of Israel. «We will not expect new terrorist attacks, and by attracting reservists, we will begin an action of retaliation» – the Israeli government said in a statement.

It should be especially noted that in Israel, practically all citizens aged 18 to 60 who previously worked in government agencies or served in the army fall into the number of reservists. «For many citizens, participation in such mobilization events is an honorable duty». – Israeli expert Yevgeny Volsky said in a commentary for EURO-ATLANTIC UKRAINE. – For us, this is a matter of survival. In the event of a further aggravation of the situation, we will reserve the right to enter the territory of a neighboring state. The Ukrainian army and the defense system do not practice this even according to the laws of war».

When asked what distinguishes mobilization in Israel and Ukraine, the analyst said literally the following: «It’s all about the timing of the completion of the mobilization campaign. There is no doubt that sooner or later both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and Kyiv will solve their military problems».

Sincerely all of us want to believe in this.  

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