JERUSALEM: On Monday, more than 1,000 senior Israeli Air Force veterans, including a former chief of staff, urged the country's top lawyers to take a tough stand against the incoming administration.
He claimed that a coalition of religious and ultranationalist parties posed a threat to Israel's future in a letter to the head of Israel's Supreme Court and other top officials.
A few days before the new administration was to take office, the letter was distributed. The letter states that "we come from across the political spectrum and from all social levels." “What unites us today is the concern that the democratic State of Israel is under threat.
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It referred to the legal authorities as the "last line of defence" and urged them to "take all necessary steps to prevent a disaster befalling the country".
Dan Halutz, former military chief of staff from 2005 to 2007, Avihu Ben-Nun, former air force commander, and Amos Yadlin, former head of military intelligence, were three of the approximately 1,200 signatories. All of them were the first fighter pilots.
In elections held on 1 November, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ultra-conservative and far-right allies won a majority in parliament.
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Netanyahu has struck a series of agreements that will give his far-right allies control over the country's police force and the development of settlements in the occupied West Bank, even though he has yet to conclude coalition talks.
He is advocating legislation that would allow a politician to hold office as a cabinet minister to serve time in prison for bribery, while also serving probation for a separate tax offense conviction.
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Additionally, it is speculated that he will push for a number of legal reforms, which some critics claim will weaken the judiciary and possibly lead to the dismissal of Netanyahu's criminal charges.
Netanyahu on Sunday condemned an aide for anti-LGBTQ remarks.
On Thursday, Netanyahu is expected to take charge of his new administration.
