In a news report by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, it was announced that approximately 830 soldiers, including over 260 pilots from the Israeli Air Force, had resigned from their duties.
An unnamed military spokesperson on Israel Army Radio emphasized that the soldiers' refusal to serve had posed a threat to the effectiveness of the military.
In an open letter shared yesterday, addressed to the soldiers who voluntarily left their reserve military service to protest the controversial judicial legislation, Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi stated, "If we don't have a strong and cohesive army, if the best option is to not serve in the military, we cannot exist as a country in this region."
The controversial judicial regulation
Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin's "judicial reform," announced on January 5th, includes changes such as limiting the powers of the Supreme Court and giving the government a say in judicial appointments.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on March 27th that he had postponed the judicial regulation, which had caused increasing nationwide mass protests and strikes. However, after passing the 2023-2024 budget in late May, the government announced that they would bring the judicial regulation back to the agenda.
Following the deadlock in negotiations with the opposition, the government recently resumed efforts to push through the judicial regulation.
Despite widespread protests and intense public debates across the country, the Netanyahu government approved the bill that would remove the government's oversight over the Supreme Court during a session on July 24th, which the opposition boycotted.
In response to the government's "judicial reform," thousands of Israelis, including war pilots, submarine officers, and other elite units, decided to resign from their voluntary reserve military duties.
Numerous individuals who have held high-level positions in Israeli politics, the military, security, economy, and judiciary have expressed their opposition to the government's judicial regulation.
The protest movement against the Netanyahu government's judicial regulation has been ongoing for approximately 7 months.
