The head of the Israel Air Force warned Friday that the country's enemies might exploit the political crisis triggered by the judicial reform.

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"It's possible that at a time like this they [Israel's enemies] will try to test the frontiers, our cohesion and our alertness," Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar said in an address to his forces, according to a statement released on Friday. He did not elaborate.

Video: Anti-reform protests in Jerusalem. Credit: Yoni Rikner

Bar said his forces needed to remain "vigilant and prepared" after the Knesset on Monday passed the first of the contested bills, removing the Supreme Court's authority to void what it deems "unreasonable" decisions by government and ministers.

The overhaul being pursued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Coalition has sparked a seven-month crisis, spurring unprecedented protests, opening up a deep social divide and straining the loyalties of some IDF reservists.

Demonstrators accuse Netanyahu of working to curb court independence even as he argues his innocence in a graft trial. Protest leaders said demonstrations would continue on Saturday, with actions planned in 150 locations.

As the crisis escalated following Monday's vote, Israeli media said Netanyahu received at least four letters from Military Intelligence warning of serious security ramifications due to the judicial overhaul. According to the reports, senior intelligence officials said Israel's enemies – particularly Iran and its proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah – view the crisis as a historic low point in the country's history.

A spokesperson for the prime minister declined to comment.

Netanyahu earlier went on the offensive, giving several interviews to US media late on Thursday. Speaking to ABC News, he said the amendment to one of Israel's Basic Laws, which functions as a formal constitution, was "a minor correction" to an "activist" court.

"It's described as the end of Israeli democracy – I think that's silly and when the dust settles, everybody will see it," he said.

On CNN, Netanyahu sidestepped a question on whether he would obey a potential Supreme Court ruling quashing Monday's amendment.

Opposition leader Benny Gantz said Netanyahu would be "implementing a judicial coup" if he failed to adhere to a ruling by the court.

Political watchdog groups have appealed to the Supreme Court to strike down the new law, paving the way to a showdown among branches of government when it hears the arguments in September. The legal tussle could begin next Thursday, when the top court will hear an appeal against a coalition bill ratified in March that limited conditions for removing the prime minister from office.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel would enter "uncharted territory" if the Supreme Court struck down a recently passed "reasonableness" amendment, that's part of a contentious judicial reform, during an interview with CNN on Thursday evening.

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In a heated interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, the prime minister did not respond to a question on whether he would comply with the possible overturning of the law, which set out to limit judicial review of government and ministerial decisions on the basis of "reasonableness."

Video: Anti-reform protests in Jerusalem. Credit: Yoni Rikner

"What you're talking about is a situation, or a potential situation, in which, in American terms, the US Supreme Court would take a constitutional amendment and declare it unconstitutional. That's the kind of spiral you're talking about, and I hope it doesn't come to that," Netanyahu said.

He insisted that the Court had become too powerful and that the reshuffle would balance those powers with those of the government and the legislature.

"We had to put Israeli democracy back on an equal footing with other democracies. The essence of democracy is the balance between the will of the majority and the rights of the minority. This balance has been violated over the last 20 years, because we have the most activist court on the planet," Netanyahu said.

He also referred to the "internal debate going on right now in the United States about the powers of the Supreme Court, about whether it's abusing its powers, whether they should be curtailed."

"Does that make American democracy no longer a democracy? Does that make this debate unworthy? Does it make this issue a symbol of the fact that you personally are moving toward a dictatorship?" he said. "I don't want to minimize the situation or people's concerns, because many of them have been caught up in this spiral of fear. Israel will remain a democracy."

Asked whether he expected any consequences from Washington following the bill's passage, Netanyahu stressed that relations between the White House and his government remained strong and that President Joe Biden invited him for a meeting this autumn.

He also affirmed that he had no intention of removing Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara from office, despite growing calls from the right-wing bloc to do so. Netanyahu indicated that he planned to use the new reasonableness law to reappoint the leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, Aryeh Deri, who has a conviction due to tax offenses, as minister.

This article was first published by i24NEWS.p

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