海角大神

In years past, Israel鈥檚 long-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, publicly took great pride in his country鈥檚 growing global stature, ascribing it to two main pillars: military power, as embodied in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and the technological innovation that gave the country a cherished nickname, 鈥淪tartup Nation.鈥�

Yet just over two months into his sixth term in office, Mr. Netanyahu faces a widespread revolt from precisely those segments of Israeli society.

Elite combat veterans and high-tech workers have become pivotal, and highly visible, members of the pro-democracy movement protesting against his government鈥檚 controversial plan to 鈥渞eform鈥� the country鈥檚 judicial system and undermine any check on executive power.

IDF reservists and the technology sector, widely regarded as among the best and brightest Israeli society has to offer, are not reflexive protesters. For many this is their first time signing petitions and taking to the streets, let alone refusing military call-ups in a country where such service is considered sacred.

Yet the current danger, as they see it, to Israeli democracy is existential and requires unprecedented measures.

Protest leaders and political analysts are clear-eyed that demonstrations that consistently have drawn hundreds of thousands of people nationwide for 10 straight weeks may not impress Mr. Netanyahu or his hard-right religious-nationalist coalition partners. But threatened economic and military damage may be the only leverage that can force him to back down from the legislation being rushed through parliament.

On Thursday, protests and strikes took place in more than 100 locales across the country in a self-styled 鈥淣ational Day of Resistance鈥� that even disrupted the visit of U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. He had to meet with Mr. Netanyahu at the airport due to mass highway disruptions that also forced the Israeli leader to arrive by helicopter.听

鈥淪preading like wildfire鈥�

For many in Israel, the idea of reservists refusing military service is the most emotionally wrenching.

鈥淔or me and other protesters, the contract with the state was that it be Jewish and democratic, but the intent by this government is to turn it into Jewish only,鈥� says Lt. Col. O., a veteran officer in a classified artillery unit who requested anonymity due to his sensitive military service and leadership in the reservist protest.

Lt. Col. O., who still volunteers for duty, helped organize the initial petition from his unit, which so far has garnered more than 1,000 signatures. Their sole request was that the government halt its legislative blitz and enter into real negotiations.

Countless other groupings of reservist protesters have sprouted up in recent weeks, totaling thousands of soldiers and officers, ranging from special forces commandos to cyber hackers, intelligence analysts to drone operators, and counter-terror operatives to combat pilots.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 have to serve in the reserves, it鈥檚 on a volunteer basis,鈥� Lt. Col. O. explains, noting that only 1% of the population regularly does so. 鈥淏ut there was always faith that what we were doing was important, and that the country was worth it.鈥�

In the most high-profile case so far, nearly an entire F-15 fighter jet reserve squadron declared early this week that it would boycott an upcoming training day. After entreaties by senior officers, the combat pilots arrived on base for a 鈥渄ialogue鈥� on the political crisis.

鈥淲hat you鈥檙e seeing is the start of the process, and for the vast majority it鈥檚 not active refusal 鈥� yet,鈥� says Amos Harel, defense analyst at the Haaretz daily. 鈥淚t鈥檚 conditional: They鈥檙e saying that in future if these judicial 鈥榬eforms鈥� are passed, then we will stop reporting for reserve duty.鈥�

According to Mr. Harel, nothing on this scale has ever occurred among Israel鈥檚 citizen soldiers. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 spreading like wildfire,鈥� he adds.

The Air Force in particular is severely dependent on reservists, analysts say, with combat pilots and navigators still conducting active operations every week throughout the Middle East.

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy took the unprecedented step of meeting with Mr. Netanyahu this week to 鈥渆xpress his concerns regarding the implications of reservists not reporting for duty,鈥� according to one security source. Lt. Gen. Halevy has also met with several groups of reservists in recent days, saying that the security of the state rested with them and their ilk and that 鈥渞efusal is a 鈥榬ed line.鈥� It should not be in the military protocol.鈥�

He also condemned comments attacking the reservists as 鈥渢raitors,鈥� including by government ministers.

鈥淐onditional pilots are not patriots. Not the salt of the earth. Not Zionists. Not the best of our boys,鈥� Public Diplomacy Minister Galit Distel Atbaryan tweeted. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi added, 鈥淭he Jewish people will manage without you and you can go to Hell. The reform will move forward and advance.鈥�

If the judicial overhaul is passed according to the government鈥檚 schedule, then as soon as next month the vast majority of reservist air crews will refuse to report for duty, according to Haaretz鈥檚 Mr. Harel.

鈥淚f someone in the IDF thinks they鈥檒l have a reserve army after these laws are passed, then they鈥檙e living in a fantasy,鈥� says Lt. Col. O.

The tech 鈥渕iracle鈥�

Mr. Netanyahu himself has so far not shown any inclination of backing down, dismissing the protesters as 鈥渁narchists,鈥� even comparing them to rampaging Jewish settlers in the West Bank who burned homes in a Palestinian village last week. Mr. Netanyahu鈥檚 son and close adviser, Yair, even called the protest movement 鈥渄omestic terrorism鈥� and compared the tech sector to 鈥淏olsheviks鈥� leeching off the state.

In truth, the tech industry has been a main engine for Israel鈥檚 economic 鈥渕iracle.鈥� Just 10% of the national workforce, it accounts for over 40% of all exports, a quarter of all taxes, and some 15% of GDP, according to government figures.

Now an overwhelming proportion of that industry is rebelling, as tech CEOs and firms take a leading and very public role in the anti-government protest, from funding demonstrations to erecting massive billboards, and in several high-profile cases even moving billions of dollars out of the country.

Tech analysts and executives have laid out a litany of concerns if the judicial overhaul comes to pass, including the courts鈥� abilities to uphold property rights and the civil liberties of minority groups like women, LGBTQ people, and Arab Israelis.

Many question whether, in a radically altered Israel, highly mobile tech workers will even want to stay here and raise families. The political upheaval has already created doubts in the minds of many global investors.

鈥淚nvestors are very worried, and whenever there鈥檚 uncertainty, they stop to assess. In the case of Israel right now they鈥檙e saying, 鈥楲et鈥檚 wait,鈥欌�� says one tech CEO prominent in the protest movement, asking for anonymity so as not to harm investor relations.

Another tech executive, Ohad, who has been present at recent demonstrations, is even more blunt: Tech in Israel has to look outward due to the small size of the local market. 鈥淚t can鈥檛 exist as a 鈥榮tand-alone industry,鈥欌�� he says.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a global world, and the world won鈥檛 do business with a dictatorial state,鈥� he adds. 鈥淭he fear is that they鈥檒l put Israel onto a blacklist, with sanctions. We鈥檙e not too far away from that in our current situation.鈥�

Protesting, but still serving

Ohad, who also requested anonymity so as not to identify his firm, says there were 鈥渓ots of layers of idiocy [on the part of the government] that leads to serious concerns鈥� throughout the entire industry.

鈥淵ou saw me and my colleagues last week demonstrating on a work day. The protest definitely represents how the sector feels.鈥�

Interestingly, Ohad, a reservist in the IDF Intelligence Branch Special Operations Division, refused to sign the unit鈥檚 petition threatening to boycott duty.

鈥淚鈥檒l go to reserve duty if called,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not defending a specific government or parliament, you鈥檙e defending the nation, regardless of which idiot sits at the top.鈥�

For those now out on the streets, it seems, there are still certain norms that remain intact, despite their genuine anger. Yet even for someone like Ohad 鈥� a father of three, a law-abiding and patriotic citizen, an Israeli success story 鈥� those lines may be eroding.

鈥淚鈥檓 not a big student of history, but it seems that the only protests that succeeded in the past are those that got out of control. The masses here aren鈥檛 going back home, and yet the government so far doesn鈥檛 even see us, even after weeks of protest. They haven鈥檛 stopped,鈥� he says.

鈥淚鈥檓 not an anarchist like they say, but at a certain point you can鈥檛 play by normal rules anymore.鈥�