Reservists on Duty

Reservists on Duty is an Israeli nongovernmental advocacy organization established in December 2015 by Israeli reserve soldiers. Its central purpose is to oppose the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, challenge what it describes as the demonization of Israel, and promote Israeli perspectives in public debates about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The organization is funded through private donations and is not described as a government body or a listed commercial enterprise. The initiative was associated with Amit Deri, who had previously directed the Tavor pre-military preparatory program in Upper Nazareth. According to accounts of the organization’s origins, Deri became interested in creating a response to BDS campaigning after observing a protest in Ireland. He believed that arguments about Israel’s conduct were sometimes based on material from Israeli nongovernmental organizations that, in his view, was presented without sufficient context. The organization subsequently emerged from the involvement of Israeli Defense Forces reservists and other soldiers who wanted to contest the activities and international influence of organizations such as Breaking the Silence. Reservists on Duty operates both domestically and internationally. In Israel, it seeks to expose what it considers the underlying aims and alleged anti-Israel effects of organizations including Breaking the Silence and B’Tselem. It has also criticized reporting by Haaretz, arguing that BDS advocates rely heavily on such reporting and that some coverage contributes to negative portrayals of Israel and the IDF. The organization has organized conferences addressing ethics in warfare and what it characterizes as international double standards concerning Israel. Its international work has focused particularly on university campuses in the United States. The organization sends volunteers, including former lone soldiers, students, members of minority communities, and other participants with ties to Israel, to engage with campus groups and respond to anti-Israel or BDS activity. Its principal campus initiative has been described as the Gideon Group, a volunteer network intended to provide speakers, personal accounts, and pro-Israel outreach during periods such as Israeli Apartheid Week. The group presents these participants as people able to explain both Israeli life and the specific social environment of American campuses. The organization attracted significant attention in 2017 after releasing a video disputing a testimony by Dean Issacharoff, then a spokesperson for Breaking the Silence. Reservists on Duty featured Issacharoff’s former commander and soldiers who served in his platoon, who rejected his account of having beaten a Palestinian detainee. The dispute prompted political calls for a criminal investigation and became part of a wider argument over the credibility of Israeli soldiers’ testimony, the conduct of the IDF, and the role of Israeli advocacy groups in international criticism of Israel. A police and State Attorney’s review later concluded that the allegation could not be substantiated, while Issacharoff and organizations supporting him disputed the investigation’s handling of the identity of the alleged victim. Reservists on Duty is best understood as a political and public-affairs advocacy brand rather than a consumer business. Its activities consist of campaigns, volunteer mobilization, campus engagement, media responses, conferences, and direct challenges to organizations and narratives it regards as hostile to Israel. Available reference material does not establish its current leadership, precise organizational structure, annual budget, or present operating status.

Reservists on Duty was established in December 2015 by Israeli reserve soldiers seeking to organize a response to the BDS movement and what they regarded as newer forms of antisemitism directed at Israel. The organization’s creation was associated with Amit Deri, a former director of the Tavor pre-military preparatory program in Upper Nazareth. Deri reportedly developed the idea after seeing a BDS protest in Ireland and concluding that some arguments about Israel relied on Israeli NGO material that, in his assessment, was presented selectively or without context. The organization’s founding environment was also shaped by opposition to Breaking the Silence. Israeli reserve officers and soldiers signed a petition calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the organization’s cooperation with state institutions, particularly the IDF, and to restrict foreign funding for it. The petition reportedly received support from more than half of the members of the Knesset. Reservists on Duty developed as an advocacy platform for people who wanted to contest the international use of allegations concerning Israeli military conduct and to promote an alternative account of Israel’s policies and security environment. Its work has included public education, media engagement, conferences, and direct interaction with students. Internationally, the organization has concentrated on American universities, where it sends volunteers and delegations during periods of intensive anti-Israel activism, including Israeli Apartheid Week. The Gideon Group has been described as its principal project in this area. It brings together volunteers such as former lone soldiers, students, members of minority communities, and other people able to discuss Israel from personal experience while understanding the culture of American campuses. The group’s stated approach is to maintain contact with pro-Israel communities, attend campus events, and provide a more personal and accessible account of Israel. Within Israel, Reservists on Duty has targeted organizations and reporting that it believes enable BDS or contribute to the demonization of Israel. Its activities have included a hotline for current and former IDF soldiers who said they had experienced harassment from Breaking the Silence after the 2014 Gaza conflict, complaints directed at Haaretz, and criticism of organizations such as B’Tselem. The organization has also convened events on ethics in combat and alleged international double standards in judgments of Israel. The organization’s most prominent public controversy in the available record occurred in April 2017. It published a video contesting a testimony by Dean Issacharoff, a Breaking the Silence spokesperson, who said that he had beaten a Palestinian during his military service. Issacharoff’s former commander and around a dozen soldiers from his platoon appeared in the response and denied that the incident had occurred as described. The dispute became politically significant when Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked requested that Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit examine whether Issacharoff should be investigated or prosecuted. Issacharoff was questioned under caution, and a police and State Attorney review concluded that his account was false. Issacharoff, Breaking the Silence, and B’Tselem subsequently argued that the investigation had identified or questioned the wrong Palestinian. In October 2017, Reservists on Duty organized a two-week American campus tour involving pro-Israel Arab speakers, including Muslim, Christian, and Druze participants. This reflected the organization’s wider effort to broaden the voices used in pro-Israel advocacy beyond a single Jewish or military perspective. Available sources do not provide sufficient information about later leadership, finances, staffing, legal structure, or whether the organization remains active today.

• 2017

  Response to Dean Issacharoff testimony

  [1]Reservists on Dutyen.wikipedia.org

  Reservists on Duty published a video in which Issacharoff’s former commander and fellow soldiers denied his account of a Palestinian being beaten during his service.

• 2017

  Two-week US campus tour

  [1]Reservists on Dutyen.wikipedia.org

  The organization arranged a US campus tour featuring pro-Israel Arab speakers, including Muslim, Christian, and Druze participants.

• 2015

  Organization established

  [1]Reservists on Dutyen.wikipedia.org

  Reservists on Duty was founded in December by Israeli reserve soldiers, with Amit Deri identified as its founder, to oppose BDS campaigning and challenge narratives about Israel that the group considered misleading.

• 2015

  Petition concerning Breaking the Silence

  [1]Reservists on Dutyen.wikipedia.org

  Israeli reservists and soldiers supported a petition urging the Israeli government to end Breaking the Silence’s cooperation with state institutions, especially the IDF, and to restrict foreign funding for the organization.

A right-leaning, pro-Israel advocacy organization using the experiences of Israeli reservists and other volunteers to counter BDS campaigning, challenge criticism of Israel and the IDF, and engage students and public audiences.

• Campus advocacy program

  Gideon Group

  The Gideon Group is the organization’s principal campus-oriented initiative. It mobilizes volunteers, including former lone soldiers, students, minorities, and other Israel-linked participants, to visit American universities, work with pro-Israel communities, attend campus events, and present personal accounts intended to counter BDS and anti-Israel messaging. The program is designed around dialogue and public advocacy rather than a commercial product.

• Support and advocacy service

  Soldier testimony hotline

  Reservists on Duty established a hotline for current and former IDF soldiers who reported harassment connected with Breaking the Silence. The initiative also sought testimonies from soldiers who had taken part in the 2014 Gaza conflict and was intended to support the organization’s public argument about competing accounts of military conduct.

• Public advocacy

  Campus delegations and educational materials

  The organization sends volunteers and speakers to universities and other public forums to explain Israeli perspectives on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, respond to BDS activity, and challenge what it characterizes as anti-Israel propaganda. Its materials and appearances function as advocacy and public education rather than as retail offerings.

• 2017Response to Breaking the Silence testimony

  Israel

  Reservists on Duty released a video disputing Dean Issacharoff’s account of having beaten a Palestinian during military service, using statements from his former commander and fellow soldiers.

  Outcome. The video intensified a national debate over military testimony and prompted a government-requested investigation.

  Source
• 2017Pro-Israel Arab speakers US campus tour

  United States

  A two-week tour brought pro-Israel Arab speakers, including Muslim, Christian, and Druze participants, to American campuses during a period of organized anti-Israel activity.

  Outcome. The tour expanded the range of voices used by the organization in its campus advocacy.

  Source
• 2015Anti-BDS and anti-demonization campaign

  Israel · United States

  The organization was created to oppose the BDS movement, contest what it describes as distorted presentations of Israeli conduct, and make pro-Israel arguments more accessible to public and student audiences.

  Outcome. The campaign established the organization’s core identity and led to continuing campus, media, and public-affairs activities.

  Source
• Gideon Group campus outreach

  United States

  Volunteer delegations were sent to American campuses, especially during Israeli Apartheid Week, to engage students, support pro-Israel communities, and offer personal accounts of Israeli life and military service.

  Outcome. The initiative became the organization’s principal international outreach project in the available record.

  Source

• 2017

  Publish a video challenging Issacharoff’s accountOther

  Background

  Dean Issacharoff, a Breaking the Silence spokesperson, had publicly described beating a Palestinian during his military service.

  Action taken

  Reservists on Duty released a video featuring Issacharoff’s former commander and members of his platoon, who denied that the incident occurred as he described it.

  Aftermath

  The dispute led to a political request for investigation and became a prominent controversy over military conduct, testimony, and the credibility of Israeli advocacy organizations.

  Source

• 2015

  Build a reservist-led response to BDSStrategy

  Background

  The founders believed that BDS campaigns used selectively presented material about Israel and that a coordinated response from Israeli soldiers could provide a competing narrative.

  Action taken

  The organization was formed as a private-donation-funded advocacy group combining Israeli activity with international campus outreach.

  Aftermath

  Its work developed into volunteer delegations, conferences, media responses, and campaigns directed at BDS and organizations critical of Israel.

  Source

1. 1Reservists on Dutyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Official websiteonduty.org.il