Top Israeli nuclear scientists threaten resignation over judicial reforms
Demonstrations of protest against the judicial overhaul have ignited on every level of Israeli society, including the military reservist volunteer corps of the Israeli army
A number of the top nuclear scientists in Israel are considering resignation in solidarity with the ongoing judicial reform protests across the country, Israeli Channel 13 reported on 25 July.
The report states that the scientists, members of the Atomic Energy Commission, are “responsible for the development of Israel’s nuclear capability,” in reference to reports concerning Israel's nuclear weapons arsenal.
Amongst the scientists themselves, no collaborative protest action has been recorded. Instead, each scientist involved is considering their own individual action, and have yet to bring up the subject to their superiors, the report adds.
In their deliberations, the scientists talk about discussing the matter with the “heads of the scientific, military community”, insinuating that it has reached top officials in the Israeli political sphere.
Protests against the judicial reforms have been making headlines since early 2023. On 24 July, Netanyahu's coalition successfully passed the first controversial overhaul law – the ‘reasonableness’ bill – which will significantly override the Israeli judiciary’s ability to review actions taken by the government and its elected officials.
The parties opposing the judicial reforms expressed sorrow over what they consider to be the downfall of their democracy and the rise of a dictatorship headed by Netanyahu and his coalition.
“Netanyahu has become a puppet on the strings of extremists,” Former Prime Minister Yair Lapid said following the vote, adding, “There is no prime minister.”
Alongside the increasingly violent protests that have seen clashes pitting Israeli nationals against each other and their own police force, a force of 10,000 Israeli army reservists have announced the suspension of their volunteer duty in protest against the judicial reforms on 22 July, at a press conference in Herzliya lead by the Brothers In Arms movement.
“We’ve tried everything, This is where we draw the line. We pledged to serve the kingdom and not the king. We are determined, we are fighters, we love this country, and we will not give up on it,” said Eyal Nave, one of the leaders of Brothers in Arms.
Netanyahu, in addition to wrestling with the infamy he has gained due to the protests, faces a series of bribery and corruption charges first issued against him in November of 2019.
Recently, a new development in his case came in the form of a testimony by famed Hollywood producer Arnon Milchen given on 25 June. Milchen had previously sent gifts to the prime minister ranging in value up to $200,000.
Milchan has also worked for Israeli intelligence. According to the New York Times, he made a fortune from arms dealing, including covertly procuring weapons for Israel.
A decade ago, news emerged that one of Milchan’s companies had illegally exported devices that could serve as nuclear triggers from the United States to Israel in the 1980s.
Israel’s Dimona nuclear research facility, officially titled the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center, alleged to be exclusively used for research purposes, is known to be the primary facility dedicated to its nuclear program, a program shrouded in secrecy and ambiguity.
According to the Arms Control Association, Israel is estimated to have 90 nuclear warheads, with fissile material stockpiles of over 200. Israel does not admit nor deny having nuclear weapons, and states that it will not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons in West Asia. Nevertheless, it is universally believed that Israel possesses nuclear arms stored in a partially disassembled state, although it is unclear exactly how many.
The US government first learned of Israel's secret nuclear program at Dimona from an American corporate official talking to US diplomats in Tel Aviv during mid-summer 1960, according to a document published by the US National Security Archive.