THE ONLY EXISTENTIAL THREAT IS INTERNAL:

For 33 years, Eitan Herzel has proudly dovetailed his career in Israel's vaunted tech industry with reserve duty in an elite commando unit of the Israeli military.

Several times a year, for a total of roughly 30 days, Mr. Herzel left his job as a tech engineer to report for duty -- initially as a fighter and then to guide the selection and training of new commandos.

That life of service came to a sudden end on Tuesday when Mr. Herzel wrote to his commander to resign in protest over the far-right government's decision to limit judicial power, which he sees as an assault on democracy.

"I have an agreement, like every soldier, between me and the country," said Mr. Herzel, 55. "Israel is a country that is both Jewish and democratic," he added. "If it becomes only Jewish and not a democracy, then that agreement is broken, and I can't serve anymore."

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