Judicial reforms hindering service for IOF troops: Israeli media

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Some 130 officers and soldiers in the Yahalom special unit of the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) signed a petition to Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant informing him that they would face difficulty serving in the IOF in case the controversial law regarding the judicial reforms passes, Israeli media reported Friday.

Illustrating the increasingly stark division between Israelis, the occupation's Knesset backed a key part of the controversial judicial overhaul at first reading in late February despite rallies that were held across several parts of the occupied territories as Israeli settlers continue to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "judicial reforms".

Read more: Rallies against Netanyahu's 'judicial reform' enter 7th week

Protesters argue that Netanyahu aims to use the reforms in order to deflect a series of charges against him that date back to 2019, charges which include fraud, bribery, and breach of trust, whereas the opposition in "Israel" condemned the reforms as a means of "canceling the courts."

Netanyahu's supporters have argued that opposition to the reforms is tied to the opposition's inability to accept last November's electoral defeat.

The Israeli Ynet website reported that the legislation "provides for changing the mechanism of picking judges to allow the government coalition to have complete control over it."

Internal Israeli disputes are evergrowing in light of the discussions related to the judicial overhaul bid, both in the Knesset and among the Israeli public.

As of this moment, thousands within the Israeli reserves brigades have signed petitions warning that they would not join the reserves if the reforms that Netanyahu wants.

Some 2,000 Israeli reservists protested in February against the judicial reform bids, with hundreds of others in the Israeli in Unit 8200 saying they would not volunteer if the legislation passes.

More than 100 officers and servicemen in the Military Intelligence, including officers with the rank of major general signed a petition in which they warned that they would also not continue to serve if the legislation passes, noting that they would not serve in the reserves after that.

Moreover, about 200 of "Israel's" most elite reservists threatened in a written letter that they would stop exercising their duties if the judiciary reforms come to pass. 

An additional 500 former Shin Bet agents petitioned against the Prime Minister's judicial overhaul, outraged by their former leader's sudden change of political views towards the far-right. 

Retired Mossad employees are also reportedly launching a similar petition, whilst Mossad Director David Barnea gave permission for employees who rank below the level of the department head to take part in anti-government protests.

There are stark concerns about a crisis breaking out in the reserves brigades, prompting Gallant to say that any call for the refusal to serve in the army was an attack on the Israeli occupation's security.

For his part, former Israeli Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev said stopping service in the reserves was possible if what he called the "judicial revolution" is approved.

There have been various warnings about the future of the IOF within the Israeli occupation, with a report published by Haaretz on Tuesday revealing that the Israeli occupation forces were starting to "disintegrate" in the face of growing opposition against the new Israeli government. 

The term "disintegrate" is particularly referring to the fact that growing segments of the Israeli population are refusing to serve in the armed forces.

The report, written by Israeli analyst Yossi Melman, states that the fear of internal disintegration within the IOF had surpassed the alleged "Iran threat" and a Palestinian uprising. 

Melman states that the protests which have been waged against Netanyahu's new extremist government, including the controversial reforms he has been carrying out, had caused a major disruption within the IOF's standard functioning. 

The report further states that an increasing amount of service members are deciding not to renew their contracts with "the army" as values like Zionism and "serving the State" no longer seem to work as appealing factors.

Read more: Israelis racing to obtain foreign passports: Israeli media

The "fully right-wing" government’s policies are to blame for creating such divisions within Israeli society, the report says. 

Furthermore, Israeli economists issued a warning that they are at the crack of a financial meltdown and that Netanyahu’s hard-right coalition could have grave implications for the economy.

"Since we published our first petition, there are many growing indications that the damage to the economy could manifest itself more powerfully and faster than we expected," they warned on Thursday.

"Even if the markets eventually stabilize in the short term, experience from other countries where judicial and financial institutions were harmed, and research from recent decades shows that we can expect long-term damage to economic growth and Israelis’ standard of living," the experts alerted.

After weeks of protests in "Israel", which went violent, the settlers launched a "disruption day".

As soon as the protests began, police arrived on horseback and hurled stun grenades, and used water cannons against the protesters. Videos spiraled on social media of a police officer pinning down a protester with his knee on the man's neck alongside several others which portray police brutality.

Critics said that Netanyahu has a conflict of interest in targeting judges while he stands on trial for corruption charges. 

The former head of the Israeli military intelligence division Amos Yadlin said in an interview with Israeli Channel 12: "Israel is heading to a bad place."

US chief of staff lands in occupied Palestine

The latest developments within the IOF are accompanied by the Chief of the General Staff of the United States, Mark Milley, landing in occupied Palestine to discuss regional developments and further US Army-IOF cooperation.

During his visit, Milley will meet with Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, and he plans to hold meetings with the Minister of Security and senior officials within the security establishment.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid had previously warned that passing the judicial reform law would cost "Tel Aviv" the United States" and harm the economy, stressing that Washington was terrified of what is happening in "Israel".