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Israel Fears Army Could Join Protests against Netanyahu Government

Israeli protesters in air force uniforms during a demonstration against the government in Tel Aviv last Thursday (EPA)
Israeli protesters in air force uniforms during a demonstration against the government in Tel Aviv last Thursday (EPA)
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Israel Fears Army Could Join Protests against Netanyahu Government

Israeli protesters in air force uniforms during a demonstration against the government in Tel Aviv last Thursday (EPA)
Israeli protesters in air force uniforms during a demonstration against the government in Tel Aviv last Thursday (EPA)

The Israeli army is on the verge of reducing the scope of operations due to many reservists refusing to report for duty in protest against plans by the ruling right-wing government to weaken the judiciary, announced Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi.

Halevi's warning came amid army leadership fearing that the protests might extend to regular soldiers.

Israeli Channel 12 reported that about 200 pilots in the Israeli Air Force did not report to duty on Friday in protest over the judicial system proposal.

The group of pilots, some of whom conducted Israeli covert operations, said they decided to halt service after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech and that they would review it within two weeks.

About 100 reservists informed their commanders last Wednesday that they would stop volunteering because of the legislative process promoted by the government coalition within the framework of the judicial reform plan.

In addition, 150 officers and soldiers of the Intelligence Unit 8200 announced that they would stop their military service in the reserve forces as part of their protest against the Israeli government's plan to weaken the judiciary.

Israeli media also quoted dozens of regular soldiers who implicitly threatened not to carry out orders if the government proceeded with its planned overhaul.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that 17 soldiers from the regular army formations protested in a video recording the laws marginalizing the judicial system, saying that they did not enlist in the army to protect a dictatorship.

It is the first-time regular soldiers have joined the protests among reservists.

However, Netanyahu warned that the reactions pose a grave danger to the future of Israel, and could spread beyond those who oppose the overhaul.

Netanyahu said he expects the security establishment to adopt a "firm position against" the phenomenon, adding that Israel can't exist without the army.

"All red lines have been crossed. People who were responsible for the security of the country have suddenly adopted this cynicism," he warned on Friday.

On Thursday, Netanyahu said after meeting Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the law on selecting judges would be enacted next week.

Gallant is widely reported to have planned Thursday to call for a halt to the legislation over his intense concerns but put the matter off after talking to Netanyahu.

The state broadcaster said Gallant had told Netanyahu that if legislative proceedings for the judicial changes were not suspended or compromised, he would vote against it.

Gallant cautioned Netanyahu that the crisis posed a clear, immediate, and tangible threat to the state's security, warning that he was encountering unprecedented anger and disappointment.

Earlier, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and Netanyahu discussed the increased security threats and the rift in Israeli society.

Barr told Netanyahu that the threats led Israel to a "dangerous place."

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Biden Signs Bill That Averts Govt Shutdown Ending Days of Washington Upheaval

United States President Joe Biden participates in a holiday visit to patients and families at Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC, USA, 20 December 2024. (EPA)
United States President Joe Biden participates in a holiday visit to patients and families at Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC, USA, 20 December 2024. (EPA)
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Biden Signs Bill That Averts Govt Shutdown Ending Days of Washington Upheaval

United States President Joe Biden participates in a holiday visit to patients and families at Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC, USA, 20 December 2024. (EPA)
United States President Joe Biden participates in a holiday visit to patients and families at Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC, USA, 20 December 2024. (EPA)

President Joe Biden signed a bill into law Saturday that averts a government shutdown, bringing a final close to days of upheaval after Congress approved a temporary funding plan just past the deadline and refused President-elect Donald Trump’s core debt demands in the package.

The deal funds the government at current levels through March 14 and provides $100 billion in disaster aid and $10 billion in agricultural assistance to farmers.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had insisted lawmakers would “meet our obligations” and not allow federal operations to close. But the outcome at the end of a tumultuous week was uncertain after Trump had insisted the deal include an increase in the government's borrowing limit. If not, he had said, then let the closures “start now.”

Johnson's revised plan was approved 366-34, and it was passed by the Senate by a 85-11 vote after midnight. By then, the White House said it had ceased shutdown preparations.

“There will be no government shutdown,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Johnson, who had spoken to Trump after the House vote, said the compromise was "a good outcome for the country” and that the president-elect “was certainly happy about this outcome, as well.”

The final product was the third attempt from Johnson, the beleaguered speaker, to achieve one of the basic requirements of the federal government — keeping it open. The difficulties raised questions about whether Johnson will be able to keep his job, in the face of angry Republican colleagues, and work alongside Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk, who was calling the legislative plays from afar.

The House is scheduled to elect the next speaker on Jan. 3, 2025, when the new Congress convenes. Republicans will have an exceedingly narrow majority, 220-215, leaving Johnson little margin for error as he tries to win the speaker's gavel.

One House Republican, Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, criticized Republicans for the deficit spending in the bill and said he was now “undecided” about the GOP leadership. Others are signaling unhappiness with Johnson as well.

Yet Trump's last-minute debt limit demand was almost an impossible ask, and Johnson had almost no choice but to work around that pressure. The speaker knew there wouldn’t be enough support within the slim Republican majority alone to pass any funding package because many Republican deficit hawks prefer to cut the federal government and would not allow more debt.

Instead, the Republicans, who will have full control of the White House, House and Senate in the new year, with big plans for tax cuts and other priorities, are showing they must routinely rely on Democrats for the votes needed to keep up with the routine operations of governing.

The federal debt stands at roughly $36 trillion, and the spike in inflation after the coronavirus pandemic has pushed up the government’s borrowing costs such that debt service next year will exceed spending on national security. The last time lawmakers raised the debt limit was June 2023. Rather than raise the limit by a dollar amount, lawmakers suspended the debt limit through Jan. 1, 2025.

There is no need to raise that limit right now because the Treasury Department can begin using what it calls “extraordinary measures” to ensure that America does not default on its debts. Some estimate these accounting maneuvers could push the default deadline to the summer of 2025. But that’s what Trump wanted to avoid because an increase would be needed while he was president.

GOP leaders said the debt ceiling would be debated as part of tax and border packages in the new year. Republicans made a so-called handshake agreement to raise the debt limit at that time while also cutting $2.5 trillion in spending over 10 years.

It was essentially the same deal that flopped Thursday night — minus Trump’s debt demand. But it's far smaller than the original deal Johnson struck with Democratic and Republican leaders — a 1,500-page bill that Trump and Musk rejected, forcing him to start over. It was stuffed with a long list of other bills — including much-derided pay raises for lawmakers — but also other measures with broad bipartisan support that now have a tougher path to becoming law.

Trump, who has not yet been sworn into office, is showing the power but also the limits of his sway with Congress, as he intervenes and orchestrates affairs from Mar-a-Lago alongside Musk, who is heading up the new Department of Government Efficiency.