World News
Benjamin Netanyahu urges army chief to contain reservist protest – The Times of India
Tel Aviv (Israel): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu The army chief of staff on Sunday urged that a wave of protest from within the ranks be contained against the government’s controversial plan to reform the judiciary.
Netanyahu’s remarks come as Israel is in the midst of a major crisis that has brought tens of thousands of people onto the streets to protest every week for the past two months. The division over Netanyahu’s plans to change the legal system has not spared the country’s military, its most trusted institution, with many reservists vowing not to show up for duty under what they see as an imminent regime change.
Starting Sunday, more than 700 elite Army officers have participated air forcesand special forces and Mossad They said they would stop volunteering for duty.
The usually taboo talk of refusing to serve in the army, which is mandatory for most Jews and highly respected by the Jewish majority, underscores how deeply the comprehensive reform plan has divided Israel.
Netanyahu has rejected a compromise plan proposed by the country’s honorary president aimed at defusing the crisis. He did not refer to reaching an agreement with the opponents during his statements to his cabinet, and instead said that he would not accept “chaos”, including demands that security leaders curb banditry by demonstrators, incitement against him and his ministers, and rejection. For service by an increasing number of reservists.
He added, “I expect the chief of military staff and the heads of the branches of the security services to confront strongly the refusal to serve. There is no place for refusal to serve in public discourse.”
“A country that desires to exist cannot tolerate such phenomena, and we will not tolerate them either.”
The outcry from within the military comes as Israel engages in a year-long round of fighting with the Palestinians, and as Israel’s arch-enemy Iran races over its nuclear programme. Israel says Iran is developing a nuclear bomb, a charge Tehran denies.
On Sunday, Netanyahu said the legal changes would be implemented responsibly while protecting the basic rights of all Israelis. His government – the most right-wing in the country ever – says the reform aims to correct a flaw that has given the courts too much power and prevented lawmakers from carrying out the will of the voting public.
Critics say it will upend Israel’s delicate system of checks and balances and slide the country toward authoritarianism. They also say it could give Netanyahu an opportunity to evade conviction in his corruption trial.
The army did not immediately comment on Netanyahu’s comments. He was the Chief of Staff of the Army, Lieutenant General. The general. Herzl HalevyNetanyahu reportedly warned that the reservists’ protest threatened to harm the army’s capabilities. He has vowed to make sure that does not happen and to keep the army out of the public debate about comprehensive reform. (AP)
Netanyahu’s remarks come as Israel is in the midst of a major crisis that has brought tens of thousands of people onto the streets to protest every week for the past two months. The division over Netanyahu’s plans to change the legal system has not spared the country’s military, its most trusted institution, with many reservists vowing not to show up for duty under what they see as an imminent regime change.
Starting Sunday, more than 700 elite Army officers have participated air forcesand special forces and Mossad They said they would stop volunteering for duty.
The usually taboo talk of refusing to serve in the army, which is mandatory for most Jews and highly respected by the Jewish majority, underscores how deeply the comprehensive reform plan has divided Israel.
Netanyahu has rejected a compromise plan proposed by the country’s honorary president aimed at defusing the crisis. He did not refer to reaching an agreement with the opponents during his statements to his cabinet, and instead said that he would not accept “chaos”, including demands that security leaders curb banditry by demonstrators, incitement against him and his ministers, and rejection. For service by an increasing number of reservists.
He added, “I expect the chief of military staff and the heads of the branches of the security services to confront strongly the refusal to serve. There is no place for refusal to serve in public discourse.”
“A country that desires to exist cannot tolerate such phenomena, and we will not tolerate them either.”
The outcry from within the military comes as Israel engages in a year-long round of fighting with the Palestinians, and as Israel’s arch-enemy Iran races over its nuclear programme. Israel says Iran is developing a nuclear bomb, a charge Tehran denies.
On Sunday, Netanyahu said the legal changes would be implemented responsibly while protecting the basic rights of all Israelis. His government – the most right-wing in the country ever – says the reform aims to correct a flaw that has given the courts too much power and prevented lawmakers from carrying out the will of the voting public.
Critics say it will upend Israel’s delicate system of checks and balances and slide the country toward authoritarianism. They also say it could give Netanyahu an opportunity to evade conviction in his corruption trial.
The army did not immediately comment on Netanyahu’s comments. He was the Chief of Staff of the Army, Lieutenant General. The general. Herzl HalevyNetanyahu reportedly warned that the reservists’ protest threatened to harm the army’s capabilities. He has vowed to make sure that does not happen and to keep the army out of the public debate about comprehensive reform. (AP)
