Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minister, was fired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a day after he criticised the country’s proposed judicial changes, according to Netanyahu’s office.
Late on Saturday, Gallant, a prominent figure in Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud Party, broke ranks and demanded that the measure to reform Israel’s judicial system be put on hold.
Netanyahu’s staff issued a brief statement declaring that Gallant had been fired by the prime minister. “We must all stand strong against refusal,” Netanyahu later tweeted.
Shortly after the announcement, Gallant tweeted that his “life mission has always been and will always be the security of the state of Israel.”
Following the news, thousands of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv’s streets on Sunday and shut down a major thoroughfare.
The action suggested that Netanyahu will move forward this week with the overhaul plan, which has prompted widespread protests, infuriated business and military leaders, and caused worry among Israel’s allies.
The centrepiece of the reform, a bill giving the extreme-right ruling coalition ultimate say over all judicial appointments, is being pushed for a vote in parliament this week by Netanyahu’s government.
Gallant reportedly expressed concern that social divisions were weakening military morale and giving Israel’s adversaries in the area more power.
On Saturday, Gallant stated, “I see how the source of our power is being eroded.
Gallant’s dismissal, according to opposition leader Yair Lapid, was a “new low for the anti-Zionist government that harms national security and ignores warnings of all defence officials.”
Lapid claimed on Twitter that “Israel’s prime minister is a threat to the security of the state of Israel.”
Following Netanyahu’s announcement, thousands of Israelis took to the streets in protest, blocking Tel Aviv’s major thoroughfare and turning the Ayalon highway into a sea of blue-and-white Israeli flags. Additionally, there were protests in Haifa, Beersheba, and Jerusalem.
According to recent polls, the majority of Israelis truly disagree with this particular package of judicial reform.
We can see that the Knesset will vote on this current package on Wednesday, and it seems that Netanyahu and his supporters don’t want to wait any longer than this week.
Aside from limiting judicial review of laws, the proposed judicial changes also aim to pass legislation giving parliament the power to overrule Supreme Court rulings with a simple majority.
The plan, according to Netanyahu and his allies, will rebalance the judicial and executive departments and restrain what they perceive to be an interventionist court with liberal sympathies.
However, detractors claim that the collection of laws will eliminate the democratic checks and balances in Israel and consolidate power in the hands of the ruling alliance.
Tens of thousands of protesters have been taking to the streets over the past three months, joined by military and business leaders who have spoken out against the plan.
Former top security officials have publicly opposed the proposal, along with leaders of Israel’s thriving high-tech sector, leaders of Israel’s allies, including the United States and Germany, and former top security officials.
Even the Israeli army, which is the most well-liked and respected organisation in Israel’s Jewish majority, has seen a rise in discontent in recent weeks. In recent weeks, an increasing number of Israeli reservists, including fighter pilots, have vowed to leave their voluntary service.
Most people I spoke to at the demonstrations [in Israel] were worried about the legal changes the government is attempting to implement because they think they will have an impact on every aspect of society.
“Only a few days ago, the first motion was introduced that would prevent the attorney general from ousting the prime minister. Netanyahu is currently facing charges of corruption.
“That is one of the reasons the protesters claimed the government was eager to force through these judicial reforms, as we have ministers who have been found guilty of tax fraud and racism.
Many Israelis believe that the government’s methods for implementing these judicial adjustments are undemocratic. They object to the process rather than the alterations themselves.
The information comes as an Israeli group dedicated to good governance requested the Supreme Court of the nation to punish Netanyahu for allegedly breaking a conflict of interest agreement designed to keep him away from the country’s judiciary while he is facing corruption charges.
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel’s request escalates a simmering conflict between Prime Minister Netanyahu’s administration and the courts it is working to reform.
