500 fallen soldiers’ families speak out against Israeli government

ANKARA (AA) - About 500 families of fallen Israeli soldiers on Sunday urged government representatives to skip the next Remembrance Day observances if the Cabinet intends to push its judicial reforms into law, according to local media.

At a press conference, family members opened a sensitive new front for the government, making it plain that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu along with his Cabinet members will not be able to “bathe in the standard adulation politicians get at such sacred ceremonies,” set for April, according to the daily Jerusalem Post.

The move comes amid Netanyahu’s proposed judicial reform plan, seen by the opposition as an attempt to shrink the powers of the judicial authority in favor of the executive.

The planned change would severely limit the power of the Supreme Court of Justice, give the government the power to choose judges, and end the appointment of legal advisers to ministries by the attorney general.

If enacted, the reform would be the most radical change ever in the system of government in Israel.

However, Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, insists that his judicial plan would enhance democracy and would restore balance between the legislative, executive, and judicial powers.

Remembrance Day is observed each year on the 4th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar or in proximity to that date, which this year falls in April.

* Ikram Kouachi contributed to this report