Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz is very concerned about the announcement of Chief of Staff Benny Gantz [June 3] regarding cancellation of operational activities of reserve soldiers until the end of the year as a result of the anticipated cutbacks to the defense budget.
Peretz has much experience in this sphere. When he served as defense minister in former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's government (2006-09), he received a reserve force that was neglected and unfit for duty — only about two months before the eruption of the Second Lebanon War. In an interview with Al-Monitor, Peretz warns about a similar blow to the reserves deployment and warns that this could be one mistake too many, in light of a stormy Middle East. Peretz also admits that he is frustrated by the diplomatic "standstill" characterizing the government of which he is a member.