Protests continue in Israel against judicial reforms

ALBAWABA - Protests continue in Israel against judicial reforms that the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to introduce.

The protests intensified in light of Knesset, or Israeli Parliament, member Shlomo Karhi's "offensive" statements to those who threatened to refuse military service. Soldiers and reserve officers of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) demonstrated in front of his house on Tuesday.

Karhi had tweeted in Hebrew, which was translated into English-language by Albawaba: "To the shameless rejectionists of the service, the people of Israel will manage without you, so go to hell, and let judicial reforms proceed on their way."

Recently, the Knesset approved a draft "Judicial Reform Law," which would limit the power of the Supreme Court and give the government the upper hand over the judge appointment committee.

While this draft law has been described as a "coup", on grounds that it will destroy democracy, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that it aims to restore balance between powers.

The protests continue

More than 100 officers from the IDF Special Operations Brigade announced that they would end their military service if these judicial reforms were approved, while a senior officer in the Air Force requested his release from service.

Officers wrote and signed a petition stating that they would not continue military service in light of what they called the "coup against the system" practiced by Netanyahu's government.

According to the information circulated, among the signatories of the petition are a major general, a brigadier general, and a large number of officers holding the rank of colonel and lieutenant colonel.

David Barnea, head of Israel's secret-service agency, the Mossad, allowed the officers working in the agency to participate in the mass protests against judicial reforms.

Never in the history of Israel did the intelligence services' leaders allow their members to participate in protests of an internal political nature.