Aug 1
On September 12, all 15 justices of the Israeli Supreme Court will sit to hear petitions against unreasonableness. This is the first time all 15 justices will have sat together for any issue. 1970 was the last time the full court heard a case (Who is a Jew), but then there were only 9 justices. (I will do a deep dive into the composition of the Supreme Court in next week’s updates. Hint: The justices are not all secular, anti-settler, Ashkenazim, despite everyone saying so.)
Walla reporting that 60 officers from the prestigious Havatzalot program announced they would be suspending their volunteer reserve service.
3,000 soldiers and civilians filed a class action against Channel 14, because of “incitement against IDF soldiers.” Strauss announced their intention to not advertise on Channel 14. There is now apparently a pro-reform boycott of Strauss.
Likud issued an unsigned statement comparing their respect of court rulings to the courts never invalidating a basic law, and calling on the court not to invalidate the recent reasonableness repeal. The Opposition is reading that as a clear threat (ie, that if the court invalidates it, the government won’t accept their ruling, leading to constitutional crisis.) The Movement for the Quality of Government has requested that the Legal Advisor to the Government open a criminal investigation against Likud Minister of Justice Yariv Levin, who is suspected of being behind the Likud threat.
Israeli doctors are being invited to reap much higher salaries if they relocate to the UAE, Channel 12 is reporting. Reportedly WhatsApp groups with 3,000 doctors have formed to discuss relocation. An OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) report warned in June that Israel already faced a severe shortage of physicians, with more than half of Israel’s doctors close to pension.
👉🏽 Media reporting that an economic boycott of Channel 14 is forming (and of course a counter-boycott): Delek Motors and Caesar Stone reported to be joining Strauss in discontinuing their advertisements. 3,000 soldiers and civilians filed a class action against Channel 14, because of “incitement against IDF soldiers.”
👉🏽 PM Netanyahu continues his blitz of interviews with the US press, including Fox News, CNN and NBC News. In each, he is stressing that his judicial reform is “correcting” the governmental power balance. (Analysis at IsraelMachar.com/fact-check-Netanyahu-on/)
👉🏽 Reuters reporting that there are Mossad agents considering early retirement or suspending their post-retirement advisory assistance, because of the reforms.
👉🏽 Teacher groups on social media are saying that an anonymous survey being circulated amongst teachers is actually run by Channel 14, and is collecting teacher email and political opinions. No verification yet.
👉🏽 Likud’s Tally Gotliv on Twitter announcing she won’t respect Supreme Court decision on reasonableness.
👉🏽 Meanwhile, thousands briefly protested Hamas rule in Gaza, and the high cost of living.
🇮🇱 🇮🇱 🇮🇱