Wrecks and Balances
“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 (Gift Article): Protests Over Netanyahu’s Judiciary Overhaul Spread to Israel’s Military.
+ 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 centered on Huwara, the Palestinian town where settler vigilantes rampaged last week, torching homes and cars and wounding dozens of residents.”
+ This is a very big story beyond Israel for a couple reasons. First, it’s indicative of the spreading of the authoritarian virus in democracies. Second, Netanyahu is trying to take over the judiciary in part because the courts are trying to hold him accountable for his crimes. If this tactic sounds familiar, maybe you’ve been following the news in Georgia, where a bill is advancing that would give politicians the power to remove prosecutors they don’t like. And the timing is no coincidence. With Trump in legal trouble, Georgia GOP targets prosecutors.