Middle East

Netanyahu Resorts to Complaining Over IDF Soldiers’ Protest

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More than 700 IDF soldiers were set to skip training on Sunday to protest the country’s planned judicial overhaul.

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Abir Sultan/Pool/Reuters

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is tired of his reserve soldiers skipping training over his plan to overhaul Israel’s judicial system, so he did what most leaders do in challenging situations: complain. Netanyahu urged the country’s military chief to contain the more than 700 Israeli Defense Forces reservists set to skip training on Sunday, saying their decision would lead to “anarchy.” “There’s no place for refusal to serve in the public discourse,” he said, according to the Associated Press. “A state that wishes to exist can’t tolerate such phenomena and we will not tolerate it as well.” The protest would follow similar organized actions by reservists throughout the last month, including skipping drills and a protest march. Netanyahu has claimed the country’s Supreme Court has too much power, necessitating the change, while critics have argued the moves could devastate Israeli democracy and allow Netanyahu to evade his upcoming corruption trial.

Read it at Associated Press