Arvind’s Newsletter

Issue #687

Author

arvind mahajan
March 10, 2023

Even as I look to leave Israel after a week’s visit I am enclosing three posts which reflect the current turmoil in the country

1.Israel: The unrest within the military is the latest flare-up of opposition to the government's plans to overhaul the judiciary after protests brought hundreds of thousands of Israelis to the streets of cities like Tel Aviv. Prominent American Jews have also criticized the plans ... But for many Israelis, anger within the military is perhaps the most worrying and significant reaction to the plans." NYT

Protests Over Netanyahu’s Judiciary Overhaul Spread to Israel’s Military

The military leadership is concerned that anger over the government’s plan, with some pilots saying they will skip some training sessions and operations, could diminish military capabilities.

www.nytimes.com/2023/03/06/world/middleeast/israel-military-judiciary.html

2.The Israeli military isn't just worried about Netanyahu's judicial takeover. "For the pilots, even more than the legal concerns that they specified in their letter, the crisis centres on Huwara, the Palestinian town where settler vigilantes rampaged last week, torching homes and cars and wounding dozens of residents."

Huwara rampage, more than judicial overhaul, prompted pilots’ insubordination threat

Military brass see last week's incident as a severe moral failure indicative of deeper trends in Israel, prompting fears of widespread refusal to show up for duty among reservists

www.timesofisrael.com/huwara-rampage-more-than-judicial-overhaul-prompted-pilots-insubordination-threat

3.Yuval Noah Harari’s message to Netanyahu: Stop your coup or we will stop the country

My message to Benjamin Netanyahu: stop your coup or we’ll stop the country | Yuval Noah Harari

Plans for the Israeli judicial system are an anti-democratic coup – and will be resisted, says author and academic Yuval Noah Harari

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/mar/07/benjamin-netanyahu-coup-israeli-judicial-system