MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st July, 2023) Hundreds of reserve pilots of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) intend to leave military service in protest against the controversial judicial reform, Israeli media reported on Friday.
About 500 senior air force reservists threatened to suspend their voluntary duty over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial reform that would allow parliament to overrule Supreme Court decisions, Israeli broadcaster Kan reported.
Last week, the IDF held negotiations with some of the pilots through their squadron commanders, Kan reported, citing sources. However, the crisis of confidence only worsened during the discussions, the broadcaster added.
On Thursday, the Israeli parliament approved for second and third readings one of the key clauses of the reform, which limits the power of the Supreme Court to overturn government decisions by declaring them unreasonable. If the bill becomes law, the government will have more power to advertise its decisions and elect officials.
Netanyahu told The Wall Street Journal on Thursday that the government would drop the most controversial part of the judicial reform. At the same time, the Israeli prime minister said that the government and the opposition had been unable to agree on basic provisions of the reform for months, which would possibly prompt the government to advance the legislation unilaterally.
