Lapid aide says he will not show up for reservist duty next week in protest

A senior aide to opposition leader Yair Lapid says he will not show up to reserve duty next week as part of a protest against the government’s plans to radically overhaul the justice system.

Roei Konkol, an adviser to the former PM, says he made the decision “with a heavy heart,” after he saw those who oppose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal “called anarchists and terrorists.”

“I have no choice — I cannot do reserve duty under a regime that is trying to destroy us, and I cannot do reserve duty in an undemocratic country,” he writes on social media.

Konkol, 42, says he is scheduled to show up for reserve duty next week as a volunteer, “and until today I really did not know what to do — I was torn between my commitment of more than 20 years and my knowledge that I do not intend to serve a country that is not democratic.”

Growing numbers and groups of reservists as well as career soldiers have spoken out in recent weeks against the government’s plans and indicated they would not show up to duty or training.

Lapid spoke out over the weekend against such calls, saying he does not support them but understands the sentiments.