Over 1,000 Israeli Air Force reservists threaten to halt duties in protest against proposed judicial overhaul

More than 1,000 reservists from the Israeli Air Force on Friday (July 21) threatened to suspend their voluntary duty in protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu-led government’s plans to overhaul the judicial system.

In a letter addressed to ministers, the military's chief of staff and the air force chief, the 1,142 active duty reservists called on the government to halt their plans and maintain the independence of the judiciary.

Reach broad agreements 

“Legislation that allows the government to act in an extremely unreasonable manner will harm the security of the State of Israel, will cause a loss of trust and violate my consent to continue risking my life - and will lead, with deep sorrow and no choice, to a suspension of my volunteer reserve duty," the reservists said, reports Reuters news agency.

They asked the government to “reach broad agreements” with regard to the judicial overhaul, and “strengthen the trust in the judicial system by all parts of society, and preserve its independence.”

The reservists, who volunteer after completing their mandatory military service, account for around half of crews sent on combat sorties, according to Reuters, which has quoted army veterans.

Responding to the letter, Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that "refusing service was dangerous for the country".

Israel military concerned 

Israel’s military echoed similar concerns saying that they are examining the impact of the letter and that "accordingly, will examine the implications".

"Failing to report to reserve duty hurts the IDF and state security. Over the past days, it is evident that cohesion has been damaged, which will take a long time to repair," he said.

It is unclear what measures would be taken against reservists who do not show up for voluntary duty.

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Voting next week

Lawmakers are scheduled to vote next week on a bill that would empower the government to overturn any decision made by the Supreme Court.

For months, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) has been grappling with the protests announced by hundreds of military reservists against the government’s plans to make changes to the judiciary.

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The supporters of the judicial overhaul argue that the “much-needed” sweeping changes would restore balance to the branches of government, while the detractors say that the plans would remove vital checks and balances.

This schism has sparked months of unprecedented nationwide protests, bruised the economy and stirred concern among Western allies.

(With inputs from agencies)

 

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