Israeli army unity ‘dangerously’ harmed by overhaul crisis
The coalition bill on limiting judges’ ability to review ‘reasonableness’ is expected to pass into law on Monday
The Israeli military’s Chief of Staff, General Herzi Halevi, warned on 23 July that the unity of the army has “dangerously” deteriorated as a result of the thousands of reservists who have threatened to halt service in protest against the judicial overhaul Israel faces.
Halevi expressed concern that the existence of the State of Israel is at stake.
“I call on them to return to service,” he said, adding: “If ours is not a strong and unified army, and if the best do not serve in the IDF, we will not able to continue to exist as a state in the region.”
“We have acted to keep [the army] out of the debate, but due to its intensity in Israeli society, we were pulled into it, and the cohesion [of the military] has been harmed. It is our duty to prevent these cracks from widening,” Halevi wrote in a letter addressed to Israeli troops.
Since the overhaul controversy began, many Israeli army reservists began refusing service in protest against Netanyahu and his government.
On 19 July, hundreds of reservists took to the streets to renew their vow that they will abandon their duties if the reforms are pushed ahead.
Earlier in the month, the Israeli Knesset passed the first reading of a bill that would drastically limit the authority judges have to review decisions made by the government.
The voting continued on Sunday, 23 July, and by 24 July, the bill is expected to be passed into law.
On Sunday, a proposal put forward by the opposition to change the bill and resume compromise talks, which recently fell apart, was rejected by Netanyahu’s Likud party as well as by members of the opposition.
In the prime minister’s first comments since having a pacemaker installed, Netanyahu said in a video statement released from hospital: “We are continuing with the efforts to complete the legislation — and the effort to do so with agreement.”
https://new.thecradle.co/articles/israeli-army-unity-dangerously-harmed-by-overhaul-crisis
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