Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused reservists and retired officers and soldiers on Friday of publishing protest petitions over the past two days, calling for an end to the war on Gaza and a prisoner exchange. The petitions were initiated by organizations receiving foreign funding and aimed at bringing down his government.

According to Netanyahu, these are "the same petitions again: once on behalf of pilots, once on behalf of Navy personnel, and once on behalf of others. But the public doesn't believe their lies in the media propaganda."

He considered that "these petitions were not written in the name of our heroic soldiers. They were written by a small group of weeds, used by foreign-funded associations with one goal: to bring down the right-wing government. This did not mobilize (the masses) and did not succeed."

Netanyahu added, "This is a small group of retirees who are causing a stir, are chaotic, and are out of touch with reality, and the vast majority of them have not served in the army for years."

He continued, "These weeds are trying to weaken the State of Israel and the IDF, and are encouraging our enemies to target us. They have already sent a message of weakness to our enemies once, and we will not allow them to do so again."

Netanyahu called on Israeli citizens to "learn a lesson. Refusal to serve is refusal to serve, no matter what euphemism they give it. Anyone who encourages refusal to serve will be immediately dismissed. The IDF is fighting and will win."

Netanyahu's statement follows the publication of petitions in the press yesterday and today, beginning with a petition signed by approximately 1,000 reserve and retired fighter pilots, including former IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz. It was followed by a petition by reserve and retired officers and soldiers in the navy and armored corps. Today, a petition signed by hundreds of reserve officers and soldiers in the Military Intelligence Directorate was published.

These petitions included similar messages against Netanyahu and his government following the resumption of the war on Gaza, stating that "the war at this time primarily serves political and personal interests, not security interests. Continuing the war does not contribute to any of the declared war goals and will lead to the deaths of kidnapped Israeli soldiers and civilians."

She added, "We view with concern the erosion of reserve elements and the increasing rate of non-compliance in service, and we are concerned about the future impact of this trend."

She stressed that "only through an agreement can the kidnapped soldiers be returned safely, while military pressure primarily leads to the deaths of the kidnapped soldiers and poses a threat to our soldiers. Every day that passes endangers their lives, and any further moment of hesitation is a disgrace."