Air force reservists to protest Netanyahu

Dozens of Israeli air force reservists said Sunday they would not turn up for a training day in protest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial reforms, a jolt for a country whose melting-pot military is meant to be apolitical.

As Israel’s strategic arm, the air force has traditionally relied on reservists in wartime and requires crews who have been discharged to train regularly to maintain readiness. But in a letter circulated in local media, 37 pilots and navigators from an F-15 squadron said they would skip drills scheduled for Wednesday and instead “devote our time to dialog and reflection for the sake of democracy and national unity.”

The religious-nationalist government seeks changes that include curbs on the Supreme Court, which it accuses of overreach. Critics worry that Netanyahu — who is on trial on graft charges he denies — wants excessive power over the judiciary.