ISRAEL: IAF Dismisses Pilot & Protest Leader As US Def Sec Visit Curtailed

Guy Elster at Walla News reporting that the Israeli Air Force (IAF) has dismissed a pilot and one of the leaders of a protest movement among reservists opposed to the gov'ts proposed judicial reforms. This comes as a visit by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III initially due to last two days is curtailed to two hours at Ben Gurion Airport amid mass protests in cities across the country.

• The head of the Israeli Defense Forces Herzi Halevi warned of the potential consequences of reservists refusing to serve due to their opposition to reforms. “Certain cracks can form that will be irreparable in the future. Refusal is a red line, it should not be in the military protocol. It is unacceptable to discuss refusal, it is unacceptable to act on refusal.”
• Major protests against the judicial reforms - that critics say will erode checks and balances on the gov't - have not seen a significant shift in support for parties of the gov't or the opposition, highlighting the deep divisions within the Israeli electorate over the issue. PM Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud maintain a lead over the main opposition Yesh Atid.
• The Netanyahu gov't (Likud, Religious Zionist Party and allies, Shas, UTJ) holds a comfortable majority in the Knesset. However, small cracks have emerged over Settler issues in the West Bank, resulting in the resignation of Noam leader Avi Maoz from gov't. While he continues to support the coalition, similar issues could drive wedges between parties in the future, risking gov't stability.

Source: Direct Polls, Camil Fuchs, Midgam, Kantar, Panels Politics, MNI