IDF Chief Of Staff Warns Netanyahu Of Crisis In Army Over Judicial Reform - Reports

The chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Major General Herzi Halevi, has warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the crisis in the country's armed forces will worsen if the government proceeds with its controversial judicial reform without changes, Israeli news outlet Walla reported, citing sources familiar with the matter

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd March, 2023) The chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Major General Herzi Halevi, has warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the crisis in the country's armed forces will worsen if the government proceeds with its controversial judicial reform without changes, Israeli news outlet Walla reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Halevi and Netanyahu held a planned security meeting in Jerusalem on Wednesday, during which the chief of staff expressed his concern over the judicial reform and the worsening of the upheaval in the armed forces if it is implemented, sources familiar with the details of the meeting told the news outlet.

Earlier in March, Halevi said that reservists refusing to take part in planned exercises due to the protest against the judicial reform could damage the IDF's operational capabilities.

Several groups of reservists from various IDF branches have participated in the mass protests against the judicial reform put forward by Netanyahu's administration that have been taking place for eleven weeks.

On Tuesday, a group of protesters known as the "Brothers in Arms" announced they were collecting signatures under a refusal to serve in the event the government goes ahead with the judicial reform.

In January, Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin rolled out a legal reform package that would limit the authority of the Supreme Court by giving the cabinet control over the selection of new judges, as well as allowing the Knesset to override the court's rulings with an absolute majority. In mid-February, the Israeli parliament approved the first part of the legislation. The second half was approved by the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, at the beginning of March.

The reform's opponents argue it will undermine democracy in Israel and put the country on the verge of a social and constitutional crisis.