As thousands of reservists vowed to end their voluntary service in protest against the government's planned judicial overhaul, the unity of the army has been "dangerously" damaged, said Halevi.

In a letter published yesterday, the Israeli reservists wrote: "The Netanyahu government proved today that it is bent on crushing the State of Israel. Passing the law to cancel the reasonableness clause is the first step in the transformation of the State of Israel into a corrupt, backward, and weak state."