Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sacked his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday, March 26, 24 hours after he called for the government’s controversial judicial reform process to be suspended for a month.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to remove Defense Minister Yoav Gallant from his post,” the prime minister’s office said in a brief statement.
Thousands of demonstrators rallied again on Kaplan Street in central Tel Aviv on Sunday night to protest the reform. Some burned tires, police said in a statement.
Other impromptu rallies took place in front of the prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem, as well as in other cities in the country such as Haifa (north) and Beer Sheva (south), according to local media.
The reform aims to increase the power of elected officials over judges. According to its critics, it endangers the democratic character of the State of Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies believe there is a need to restore a balance of power between elected officials and the Supreme Court, which they believe is politicized.
Resignation of the Israeli Consul in New York
Shortly after Yoav Gallant was fired, Israel’s consul in New York announced his resignation.
“I can no longer represent the government,” wrote Asaf Zamir on Twitter. “I see it as my duty to ensure that Israel remains a model for democracy and freedom around the world.”
In a speech on Saturday night, Yoav Gallant, who hails from the same right-wing party as Benjamin Netanyahu, the Likud, said he feared persistent popular divisions over the issue would create a “real threat to Israel’s security.” “.
“Israel’s security has always been and always will be my life’s work,” he said on Twitter about his dismissal on Sunday.
The day before he called for the “legislative process” to be halted for a month, ahead of a crucial week in which more legislation and more mass protests are expected.
“I am attached to the values of Likud (…), but big changes at national level must be achieved through consultation and dialogue,” the minister added.
At the same time, Yoav Gallant called for the demonstrations to end at a time when, according to Israeli media estimates, around 200,000 people gathered against the reform in Tel Aviv.
Demonstrations have followed every week since the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, one of the most far-right in Israel’s history, unveiled a reform project that divided the country in January.
“Not brave for Israel’s security”
“Netanyahu can fire Gallant, but he cannot fire reality and he cannot fire the people of Israel who resist the madness of the coalition,” opposition leader Yair Lapid tweeted.
“Israel’s prime minister is a threat to Israel’s security,” he wrote.
On Saturday night he welcomed Yoav Gallant’s words, calling them “not brave (…) for Israel’s security”.
Two Likud MPs also expressed their support for Yoav Gallant on Twitter on Saturday and questioned whether the government could count on a majority in a vote.
Israel’s key allies, including Washington, have questioned plans to give politicians more power and limit the role of the Supreme Court.
US President Joe Biden has expressed “concern” about these judicial reforms, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday.
On Friday, in London, where he received Benjamin Netanyahu, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak underlined “the importance of respecting the democratic values that underpin the relationship (between the two countries), including within the framework of the judicial reform project in Israel”. a speaker in Downing Street.
“End of Division”
Israeli MPs are expected to vote in the coming days on one of the key elements of the reform, which has been at the heart of their critics’ concerns, and which involves changing the procedure for appointing judges.
In a televised speech on Thursday evening, Benjamin Netanyahu, who has so far kept a low profile on the issue, pledged to “end the division of the people” while emphasizing his determination to press ahead with reform.
The next day he was called to order by the courts, which ruled that his public intervention was “unlawful” given his ongoing corruption cases.
And on Sunday, the Supreme Court gave the prime minister a week to respond to an NGO petition calling for him to be fined for “contempt of court” after the speech.
According to the Petition Movement for Quality Government in Israel, seen by AFP, Benjamin Netanyahu, who is accused in a number of corruption cases, has violated a court agreement that says an accused prime minister does not have the right to act in an area that affects him into an area of conflict of interest, according to a 2020 Supreme Court ruling.
With AFP