Ex-intelligence agents urge Israeli gov’t to shelve judicial overhaul

By Abdel Raouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – Hundreds of former intelligence agents in Israel have called on the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to suspend its controversial plan for judicial overhaul.

A group of 800 former Shin Bet agents sent a letter to Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant demanding them to shelve the judicial plan.

“The legislation poses a clear and immediate danger to Israel’s security,” the former intelligence agents said in their letter cited by The Times of Israel newspaper.

“This will bring substantial harm to international recognition of the independence of Israel’s judicial system in Israel,” they said.

The former agents warned that Israeli forces “will be exposed to investigations and being put on trial at international tribunals if the legislation passes.”

Israel has been in political turmoil in recent months over the planned judicial reform, which the opposition has called a power grab in favor of executive authority.

The Israeli opposition accuses Netanyahu, who is on trial on corruption charges, of using the judicial overhaul to protect himself from the courts.

Netanyahu denies the charges and rejects any link between the judicial changes and his own case.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi