“We are at the center of an unprecedented crisis of distrust between the majority of Israeli citizens and the leaders who govern us. Benjamin Netanyahu is not the solution, he is the problem,” former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff Dan Halutz said at a rally in Rechovot, as quoted by the Times of Israel.
Speaking in the country’s north, opposition leader and former prime minister Yair Lapid criticized the government, targeting senior military officials for their soft approach to reservists, who threatened to stop enlisting because of judicial reform.
“This government attacked the Chief Minister because he hates the truth. The problem is not the readiness of the IDF. The problem is Netanyahu,” Lapid said.
Netanyahu’s reforms. The reservationists struggle
In recent weeks, the chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Gen. Herzi Halevi, the chief of the air force, Gen. Tomer Barr, and other senior defense officials have warned that reserve protests are having an increasingly negative impact on the military’s combat readiness. , criticism from the Prime Minister and other members of the ruling coalition.
Thousands of reservists announced they would not volunteer to protest the Netanyahu government’s reforms in the judiciary, and at the end of July, 1,142 Israeli air force personnel, including more than 400 pilots, issued a letter announcing their suspension of service in protest. Against forced reform. Half of Israel’s military pilots are reservists, whose absence is considered a threat to the country’s security.
Controversy over government-driven reform has plunged Israel into its deepest internal crisis since its founding 75 years ago. Critics of the changes believe they will lead the country to authoritarian rule, while supporters believe they are necessary because the judiciary will have more power.