Wave of protests captured the military
Israeli fighter pilots refuse to serve over judicial reform
03/05/2023 12:46 p.m
Implementation of the controversial judicial reform in Israel is progressing. The protest against it is getting broader and also includes the military. Particularly harsh criticism comes from Netanyahu’s own comrades who served in the same special forces.
Resistance to the planned judicial reform in the country has arisen in the Israeli military. 37 of the 40 fighter pilots of Fighter Wing 69 refused to start their reserve training during the week, Israeli media reported. Instead, they wanted to protest against the reform in front of government institutions. Reservists from other units also threatened to refuse service if the initiative by Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing religious government was implemented.
The judicial reform is progressing despite violent protests by large sections of the population. In Tel Aviv, tens of thousands took to the streets against these plans for the ninth week in a row on Saturday. The demonstrators chanted “democracy, democracy” or “shame” in the city center, many waving Israeli flags. According to media reports, around 160,000 people took part in the rally. Protests also took place in other cities in the country, including Jerusalem and Karmiel near Haifa. There is also criticism of the reform from large sections of the judiciary, business representatives and Israel’s allies abroad.
According to media reports, the first phase could be approved in a fast-track procedure by April. According to the government’s plans, Parliament should in future be able to overrule decisions of the Supreme Court with a simple majority. In addition, politicians should be given more influence in the appointment of judges. The proposed law could also play into Netanyahu’s hands in an ongoing corruption trial against him.
“You, Bibi, are consciously sacrificing the state and the people of Israel”
Experts warned a weakening of the Supreme Court could make it more likely that Israeli soldiers will face charges at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. This court can only become active if a state does not conduct serious criminal proceedings of its own accord. For this reason, the respected Supreme Court has so far also served as a “shield” for soldiers.
There was also harsh criticism of Netanyahu from veterans of the elite unit Sayeret Matkal, in which the 73-year-old also served. In an open letter, the veterans wrote that Netanyahu’s brother Jonatan deliberately sacrificed his own life for the state and people of Israel during a rescue operation by the unit at Entebbe Airport in Uganda in 1976. The team then rescued Israeli passengers on a hijacked Air France plane. “It’s sad, but you, Bibi (Netanyahu’s nickname), are consciously and open-eyed sacrificing the state and people of Israel for your own interests,” the letter said.