About 10,000 reservists from all Israeli army units announced, on Saturday, their refusal to serve in the military, in protest against the judicial amendments that the government coalition intends to pass in the Knesset.
Thus, the soldiers join about 1,000 members of the Air Force who had declared their refusal to serve in the event of passing the judicial amendments.
For his part, the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, Herzi Halevi, issued an unprecedented warning to the political echelon, stating that if the legislation is passed, there will be real damage to the army’s efficiency within 48 hours.
Halevy requested to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday to discuss this crisis in the army, in addition to asking security officials to invite the cabinet to discuss the repercussions of this situation and the way Israel’s enemies view it if the demands of the soldiers and soldiers who refuse to serve are not met.
Thousands of people are demonstrating against Netanyahu’s plan
On Saturday evening, tens of thousands of demonstrators marched on the main highway to Jerusalem in the latest show of force aimed at derailing Netanyahu’s plan to reform the justice system.
More than 100 former Israeli security chiefs signed a letter demanding that the Israeli prime minister halt the legislation.
With the arrival of the demonstrators, the main entrance to the city was transformed into a sea of blue and white Israeli flags as the protesters completed the final leg of a four-day, 70-kilometre trek from Tel Aviv to the Israeli parliament.
The protesters joined hundreds of others and planned to camp outside the Knesset, or parliament, ahead of the vote expected on Monday.
Netanyahu and his far-right allies argue that reform is needed to curb what they say are the excessive powers of unelected judges. But their critics say the plan would destroy the country’s system of checks and balances and set it on a path to authoritarian rule.
The proposed reform has drawn heavy criticism from business and medical leaders, and a growing number of Army reservists in major units have said they will stop advancing for their units if the plan passes, raising concerns it could threaten the country’s security interests.
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2023-07-22 18:52:34
