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TEL AVIV — Israel is experiencing one of its most dramatic internal crises since its establishment 75 years ago, where even the army is torn over the judicial overhaul plan advanced by the Netanyahu government.
Over 500 reserve Israel Air Force pilots, a significant number of its operational force, are planning to refuse to show up for duty to protest the government’s neutering of the Supreme Court’s authority. The pilots are gathering the last of the 513 signatures on a letter to be handed to Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar.
The dramatic move, first reported Friday by Channel 12 News, is the latest in a wave of pro-democracy protests among army reservists, including pilots, drone operators, special forces, intelligence experts and others. The government and some top military commanders are slamming the refusals as insubordination endangering the country’s security, while the reservists argue that the government’s weakening of the judiciary is turning Israel into a dictatorship that they can no longer serve.
Clearly, the unprecedented penetration of the deep societal and political rift into the ranks of the military’s regular and reserve forces is undermining the final Israeli bastion of consensus — the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Still, this undermining affects not only Israel’s society; security tops are warning it could affect Israel’s security as well.
"All that is left for Hezbollah and Iran to do now is to rub their hands with glee,” a senior Israeli political source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. “They do not need to do anything. The Jews are defeating themselves."
The magnitude of the internal fissures is best demonstrated by the growing vilification of Israel’s vaunted air force pilots, a brand that always enjoyed broad public admiration as "the insurance policy of the Jewish people" against destruction by their enemies. On Thursday, right-wing activists posted a staged video clip showing pilots allegedly refusing to provide air cover for infantry fighters during battle because they suspected them of supporting the government’s judicial overhaul.
Minister of Culture and Sports Miki Zohar posted the clip but quickly deleted it in response to the public storm it generated, while National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir continues to distribute it despite strong condemnations from air force commander Bar, IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Danniel Hagari and Defense Minister Yoav Galant. Even organized Likud party groups on social media — as well as supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including well-known journalists — continue to disseminate the fabricated video slaughtering Israel’s last remaining sacred cow — its air force.
The Knesset coalition rushed through this week the various approval stages required for the approval of the "Reasonableness law" — neutering of the Supreme Court’s authority. Ahead of the bill’s expected final approval early next week, the widespread public protests also intensified, including a march to Jerusalem that has drawn over 10,000 participants despite the scorching heat.
Hezbollah at close range
Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who met this week with President Joe Biden at the White House and addressed a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, said senior American officials had expressed concern that Hezbollah and the Iranians were observing the internal dispute in Israel and might try to exploit this opportunity.
Indeed, a few days earlier, Hezbollah issued dramatic photos clearly showing IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, head of the Northern Command Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin and others during a recent tour of the border with Lebanon.
"The publication of the photos makes it clear that Hezbollah had this entire group in its sight at close range," a former senior Israeli military source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. “This time they used a camera lens,” he said, warning that in the future Hezbollah could focus on the top brass through a sniper’s scope.
The military was unperturbed. The fact that IDF tops have no fear of going everywhere within Israeli sovereignty and Hezbollah makes do with photography shows that Israeli deterrence is alive and well, one officer said. But as many among the top brass know, this assessment is no longer accurate. Hezbollah, backed by Iran, is closely monitoring the disintegration of Israeli society and its influence on the IDF.
These developments are unprecedented. The IDF relies heavily on its reserves. Reservists of elite units are called up often and therefore considered volunteers. "Pilots must train all the time, even routinely, in order to maintain readiness," one former air force commander told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. "As soon as the reservists stop coming, the countdown begins and the force quickly loses its competence."
The problem is particularly severe in the air force that relies on its highly experienced reservists for reconnaissance and combat missions, but it has spread also to other branches of the IDF.
Meanwhile, the streets of Israel are burning, literally. On Thursday night and the early hours of Friday morning, many roads and intersections were blocked by thousands of demonstrators lighting bonfires. The Ayalon highway, Tel Aviv's beltway, was blocked for a large part of the evening while many bonfires burned on the asphalt. Police violence appears to be increasing as political pressure grows on it to crack down on protesters even as understaffing hobbles its performance.
The unrest is engulfing every sphere of life in Israel. The Israel Medical Association has declared a labor dispute and the universities are considering a general strike. A forum of leading business leaders and representatives of major corporations convened in Jerusalem on Thursday and called on the government to immediately stop the legislation.
Defense and security veterans echoed these calls. Former Shin Bet security agency chief Nadav Argaman justified those who decline to show up for reserve duty. "We need to stop this legislation by any means," he said. Former Mossad chief Tamir Pardo said, "In a few days Israel will no longer be democratic. I hope Netanyahu will be held accountable in court one day." Former Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen also called on Netanyahu to stop before disaster strikes.
A few days ago, most former air force commanders were summoned to a meeting with the current commander to discuss the repercussions of the protest on the air force and ways to contain the refusals to serve. Halevi and Galant presented Netanyahu this week with an assessment of the damage to the armed forces. Biden also weighed in, urging Netanyahu in a phone call this week to seek broad consensus for the drastic changes he is leading. Biden followed up the call with an unusual New York Times interview in which he underscored his comments to Netanyahu, apparently to ensure the prime minister does not deny or dismiss them.
Netanyahu, however, is charging ahead. The question many ask themselves is whether the Israeli premier can pump the brakes at this point, before next week’s crucial vote. Starting on the evening of July 26, Israelis will mark the fast of the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, lamenting the calamity that befell the Jewish people with the destruction of their ancient temples by external enemies made possible by bitter internal dissent. Israel is now as close to that ancient civil strife as it has ever been.
