Benny Gantz: The Israeli society is disintegrating from within and the risk of civil war is increasing

The Former Israeli Defense Minister, and Israeli opposition leader, Benny Gantz expressed his fear of a civil war in Israel, saying that society was disintegrating from within.

This came in a tweet commenting on the increasing pace of demonstrations against the judicial reform plan that Benjamin Netanyahu’s government intends to implement.

“I’m afraid there will be a civil war in Israel… I think no one wants that, but the deterioration is on a negative slope and the risk of a civil war is increasing,” Gantz said.

“These aren’t prophecies stemming from anger, these are realistic words… I live within my people and see how we fall apart,” he said.

On Wednesday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog made a similar statement, in which he said, “Whoever thinks that a real civil war is an end that we will not reach, does not understand”.

Herzog presented a plan to resolve the dispute between the government and the opposition regarding the plan for judicial reforms.

He noted that his plan strengthens the Knesset, the government, and the judicial system, and preserves the Jewish and democratic State of Israel.

For more than 10 weeks, tens of thousands of Israelis have demonstrated almost daily, against the judicial reform plan that the Netanyahu government intends to implement.

The Israeli opposition says the plan marks the beginning of the end for democracy, while Netanyahu says it aims to restore balance between the executive, legislative and judicial powers.

The plan includes amendments that limit the powers of the Supreme Court and give the government control over the appointment of judges.