On Monday, more than 1,000 senior Israeli air force veterans, including a former chief of staff, asked the nation’s top lawyers to take a forceful stance against the incoming administration.
They said that the coalition of religious and ultranationalist parties threatens Israel’s future in a letter to the head of the Israeli Supreme Court and other high officials.
Days before the new administration was scheduled to take office, the letter was delivered.
The letter stated, “We come from across the political spectrum and from all societal strata.”
“The anxiety that the democratic state of Israel is in peril is something we all share today.”
It referred to the legal authorities as “the last line of defense” and pleaded with them to “take all necessary steps to halt the calamity that is hitting the country.”
Dan Halutz, the military leader from 2005 to 2007, Avihu Ben-Nun, a former air force commander, and Amos Yadlin, a former head of military intelligence, were three of the almost 1,200 signatories.
They were all fighter pilots in the past.
In the elections held on November 1, former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ultra-Orthodox and far-right allies won a majority in parliament.
Netanyahu has made several agreements that would give his far-right allies control over the national police force and settlement development in the occupied West Bank, even though they have not yet finished coalition talks.
They are pushing legislation that would let a politician who served time in prison for bribery commit tax violations while also serving as a Cabinet minister.
They are also anticipated to support some legal reforms opponents claim will undermine the judiciary and possibly toss out Netanyahu’s criminal charges.
Netanyahu reprimanded a friend for making anti-LGBTQ remarks on Sunday.
On Thursday, Netanyahu is anticipated to resume leading his new cabinet.
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