Israeli reservists threaten mass resignations if legal plan continues

Military reserves are essential to Israel's operational readiness. The reservists are again using this leverage against government efforts to rein in the judiciary.

At least 180 senior fighter pilots, elite commandos and combat specialists Israeli military reserve cyber espionage have informed their commanders that they will no longer stand as volunteers if the government proceeds with a plan to limit judicial influence by the end of the month.

About a dozen have already quit, but hundreds more have discussed the possibility of doing so at in-person rallies and online forums this week and are preparing to formally suspend their service in the coming days, according to interviews with 12 of those reservists and group resignation letters and messages seen by The New York Times.

Military leaders fear that this would have a significant impact on the ability of Israel's armed forces, particularly its air force, as well as full-time soldiers to consider withdrawing, two senior defense officials said, speaking anonymously due to the volatility of the situation.

Israeli fighter squadrons rely heavily on reserve pilots who have regular civilian jobs but volunteer several days per month to train or participate in combat and reconnaissance missions. Israel's regular strikes in Gaza and Syria; patrol missions over Israel; and surveillance missions over Lebanon and the occupied West Bank are often led by reserve pilots and drone operators, who often have more experience than those in full-time forces.

Any future Israeli strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran would also be heavily dependent on reservists.

ImageM. Netanyahu in Jerusalem last month. Critics say he backs the legal plan so he can intervene in his corruption trial. Credit...Pool photo by Abir Sultan

Their threats to resign reflect the deep social rifts that have been created by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's efforts to undermine the power of the judicial authority . Mr Netanyahu's coalition - the most right-wing in Israel's history - is seeking to enact a bill by the end of July that would reduce the chances of the government being overthrown by the Supreme Court.

< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The bill is part of a larger package of proposals that sparked the longest wave of protests in Israel's history, led business leaders to divest of Israel, created a standoff with the Biden administration and sparked widespread fears of civilian war, according to several national polls.

For the government and its supporters, the measures improve democracy by reducing the influence of unelected judges on elected legislators. The plan is “not the end of democracy but rather the strengthening of democracy,” Netanyahu said this week.

The Israeli right has long considered the Supreme Court as an irresponsible bastion of the liberal elite that has limited some of Israel's efforts to establish settlements in the occupied West Bank and blocked certain privileges for ultra-Orthodox Jews.

But for the government...