Ex-Shin Bet chief warns Israel ‘on the brink of civil war’

The former head of Israel's so-called internal security service, Shin Bet, has warned that the occupied territories is on the brink of “civil war” as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s extremist cabinet presses ahead with its radical and destructive policies.

Nadav Argaman raised the alarm on Thursday as he expressed support for the Israeli military reservists who are threatening to stop showing up for duty in protest at the occupying regime’s so-called plans to overhaul the judiciary.

Hundreds of military reservists have announced that they will no longer volunteer to carry out their specialized duties — among them air force pilots — if the so-called judiciary reform plan is passed.

The Knesset's Law, Constitution and Justice Committee on Thursday approved a bill that aims to strip judges of their authority to challenge cabinet decisions seen as "unreasonable," paving the way for the bill to pass its final votes in the Knesset.

Describing Netanyahu’s overhaul scheme as a “regime coup,” Argaman said, “I am certain that if the legislation passes, there will be those who say, ‘We will not be part of the security force of a dictatorship.’ We’ll see people leaving [the security forces]; we’ll see a fraying.”

Pointing to the months-long protests against the so-called reform plan in the occupied territories, Argaman said, “Any legislation that does not have a broad consensus will lead…Israel to chaos. On Monday, a law is set to pass… I am fearful for…Israel. I greatly fear that we are on the brink of civil war.”

The former Shin Bet chief, who was appointed by Netanyahu in 2016 and led the agency for five years, blamed the Israeli premier for the situation and said, “Placing the responsibility on those volunteers, pilots, special units is a complete mistake.”

Argaman stressed that the responsibility is “entirely that of the prime minister of Israel, and nobody else.”

Israeli reserve doctors suspend military services to protest Netanyahu’s policies

Hundreds of Israeli reserve doctors have reportedly suspended their military services in the regime’s occupation army in protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Argaman also said Israeli military's Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and the head of the Shin Bet security service Ronen Bar should tell Netanyahu, “Enough.”

In March, the former head of Israel's so-called internal security service said he fears that if the judicial overhaul plans are implemented it could cause the “collapse from within” of the regime’s security agencies.

At least 15 protestors arrested

As the far-right cabinet's push for the controversial bill continues, protestors took to the streets in Tel Aviv and other places on Thursday night, expressing their anger and defiance.

Police said they arrested at least 15 protesters in Tel Aviv for allegedly disrupting public order and assaulting officers.

The northbound lanes of the Ayalon Freeway were closed until after midnight, as protesters who started at Habima Square repeatedly blocked the major Tel Aviv artery throughout the evening. Protestors lit fires, played drums and tried to evade police attempts to clear them off the road.

Similar scenes unfolded during the day and night, as activists opposed to the cabinet policies obstructed intersections and staged demonstrations at various locations across the occupied lands. In Rana’ana, a wealthy suburb north of Tel Aviv, protesters shut down a main junction at Highway 4 for several hours.

In Tel Aviv, police used horses and a water cannon to disperse protesters from the road.

Back on Sunday, Tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets across the occupied territories for the 28th straight week against the policies of the regime's extremist cabinet. The protesters also demonstrated outside the residence of Israeli President Isaac Herzog in the city of al-Quds.

The so-called judicial overhaul scheme seeks to take away the Israeli Supreme Court's power to overrule the decisions made by the regime's politicians. It is also aimed at giving the Israeli cabinet a greater say in the process of selecting judges to the court.

Its supporters allege that the plan will end decades of overreach by judges, while opponents argue that it will remove necessary checks on the power that is wielded by the politicians.

Critics have also accused Netanyahu, who is on trial on several counts of corruption charges, of trying to use the scheme to quash possible judgments against him.

Protesters have vowed to keep holding the monumental rallies until the cabinet decides against pushing through with the overhaul plan.

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