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Former Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Ehud Barak. Photo/REUTERS
TEL AVIV – Former Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Ehud Barak called for civil disobedience to prevent judicial reform by the government.
Barak said, “Once a government, uses the tools of democracy, to destroy it from within, and ends up acting in matters that are deeply illegitimate, it is not only the right of citizens, it is, in my judgment, the duty of citizens to turn, unfortunately towards civil disobedience.” .”
He also called on intelligence chiefs, defense staff and police to prevent judicial reform.
Recent opinion polls show overwhelming support for army reservists who reject military orders in protest against the introduction of a law that the opposition says “limits” the authority of Israel’s judiciary.
The poll, published by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth yesterday, shows, according to a translation from the Safa news agency, 70% of those affiliated with the opposition party, support the act of reservists rejecting military orders in protest against what they call a “judicial coup”. .
According to the survey, 31% of right-wing supporters support the actions of the reserves, while the percentage rises to 87% among left-wing supporters.
The survey results came a day after the decision by the Chief of Air Force, Tomer Bar, to overturn the suspension of Air Force pilot Gilead Peled and allow him to return to work, days after the decision to be fired after he led calls to refuse military orders and service.
The decision to cancel his suspension came after Peled apologized and retracted his statement.
Peled represents 36 pilots who expressed their refusal to take military training in the Air Force as objections to judicial reforms after a coalition government started steps to pass the reforms in the Knesset parliament.
On Saturday evening, Israeli cities witnessed mass demonstrations, which were the biggest since the start of the protests ten weeks ago. The number of demonstrators is estimated at more than 300,000 people.
The protesters called for the Israeli government to back down from imposing laws that “sideline justice”.
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